Blood
by testament5524
Summary: The Unnatural have plagued the Four Nations for millennia. The Monastic Order of the Air Nomads and the Earth Kingdom demon hunters shared similar goals, so did the Fire Nation Royal Vampires and the Water Tribe werewolves. Can they work together in a world where nothing is as it seems? Rated M for: lots of blood and slight gore and explicit situation. Little to no foul language.
1. Chapter 1 - Chaos

**Chapter 1 – Chaos**

Disclaimer: I'm making zilch profit!

* * *

Mr. Lee the fruit vendor was walking down the street of Omashu when he felt the fine hair on the back of his neck sticking out. He turned around as the instinct that had been ingrained into any human's DNA told him that he was being watched. He saw nothing.

Shrugging, blaming the occurrence to a flowing breeze of autumn, Mr. Li the fruit vendor resumed his march home. Whistling to calm his nerve, for the cold still lingered stubbornly under his skin and knees were struggling against a mighty shiver, he took a swig off the clay booze bottle he held in his hand. Nothing beats Omashu sour-peach wine.

The street was abandoned in the dead of night; dark and cold.

The shadow under the low roof of a hut he was passing by came alive; a pair of bright amber eyes peered through the darkness as the dark figure stepped out of the shadow. Moonlight reflected a blindingly silver glint on his dagger of black ivory handle and ornately engraved blade; flames ran along the two sides just behind the cutting edge, framing the fuller that traced to the tip like a pillar.

Mr. Lee walked still, not knowing that it was his last night out, not knowing that the sip he took was his last.

Not knowing that the Brotherhood had been sent on him.

Ah, he was but a simple fruit vendor, you say. What would the Shadow Brotherhood, the deadliest assassin guild in the Four Nations, want with him, a simple fruit vendor?

Well, as they say in the Brotherhood: kill and know that your blade always strikes true.

And the blade struck true that night.

Mr. Lee lay on the steps through the public garden terrace that he always walked on his way home from his night at the tavern every Saturday, twitching as life and blood poured out from his slit throat, his brown eyes wide opened in horror and still clutched in his hand was a clay bottle of spilt Omashu sour-peach wine.

When the authority arrived the next morning and had the body taken to the coroner, they found single nightshade blossom in his pocket.

* * *

The girl was trudging through the empty stone hallway; bright almond-shaped amber eyes trained on the prize ahead, petite but deceptively strong arms were holding up a large round shield she had picked up somewhere protectively in front of her. Her rather small stature was nearly hidden behind the seemingly oversized round metal shield. Only her knees down and the upper part of her face were visible as she gingerly stepped forward.

Cold unearthly breeze flew through from between the cracks on the ancient wall, sending cobweb fluttering about around the corner of the hallway of the ancient ruined temple she was in. She felt none of it.

Stopping just a shy step away from the old looking, metal-reinforced wooden chest, lowering the shield as nothing happened, she grunted lightly as she shrugged and put her heavy shield aside. Putting her hands to her waist, she tapped one foot absentmindedly on the stone floor below, thinking and scrutinizing. She closed her eyes and raked her brain, forehead frowning and delicate brows furrowing. She brought one hand to her heart-shaped jaw, tapping a dainty long-nailed finger on her chin.

Ruby red lips curled up into a sly smile as she formulated her next step.

Flicking one of her two bangs that veiled the side of her face –the only part of her silky smooth raven hair that was not secured in her top-knot-, she pondered upon how stupid the Ancients must be. A tripwire of thin brown hemp rope tied to the side of the lid surrounded by the cobweb was standing up like a thread of gold amongst silken strings. Also, the notch in the wall where the chest was stored was surrounded by numerous holes etched perfectly round, around twenty five of them and they were all pointing at her direction.

It would seem like the Ancients were more interested in protecting their treasure agaisnt the hasty and the foolish; heh, talk about a _fool_proof security system.

The girl sighed and crossed her arms on her chest, feeling the silk of her red and black robe rubbing, slippery on top of each other. She tapped her foot again, waiting impatiently this time, for her companions to arrive. When the boy and the other two girls finally arrived, the amber-eyed girl was in the middle of sketching something that resembled a taiji circle on the dusty floor with the tip of her pointy Fire Nation boots.

"Took you guys long enough", the girl said icily. "I'm bored."

"You ran away while we were fighting those terra-cotta!" the scarred bot snapped; amber eyes identical to the girl's, skin also of the same creamy white complexion, hair that was also the same color but, unlike the girl's silky smooth and straight hair, as indicated by her twin bangs, the boy's hair was saggy. On the left side of his otherwise flawlessly handsome face was a horrible angry and deep-red burn scar that covered the most part of his left face and his left ear that looked shriveled and small.

"Correction: I did not run away", the first girl stood straight, crossing her arms, smirking. "I ran _ahead_. After all, I have all the faith in the world in the might of my beloved older brother and you two. The stones weren't much of a challenge for you three, were they, Zuzu?"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

A rumble shook the whole place; while 'Zuzu' and the other two girls suddenly dropped into weary stance, the first girl with the twin bangs and amber eyes stayed as relaxed as ever.

"Kindly keep your voice down, Brother", she said with a teasing admonishment. "We don't want to wake the dead any more than we already have."

"This place gives me the creeps", one of the other two girls, the one with a slightly ivory skin, thick brown hair tied into a long braid, and a pair of big gray eyes that adorned her round, rather childish but no less attractive face, shivered, hugging herself that was clad in a simple tunic that exposed her midriff, forearms, and shins, unlike the other three that wore full robe. "Don't you feel it, Azula? This place has a really bad aura."

The girl with twin bangs, Azula, openly rolled her eyes.

"Is that the amulet?" the boy asked, walking past Azula towards the chest.

"It's the only thing that looks of value around here, Zuko", Azula changed not her tone but she covertly raced back a few healthy steps behind her older brother with her shield raised; Ty Lee and the other girl, the one with a pale expressionless face and long black hair tied into a twin bun, quickly sought safety behind Azula and her study shield. "I was about to open it myself but… oh, what a little girl like me to do without that big… strong… muscle of yours?" the lilt of a temptress in her voice made her smirk, Ty Lee giggle, the other girl sigh, and Zuko bristle. Zuko dared not turn around to face his sister which just what Azula wanted.

The boy leaned down and tugged the lid of the chest open; Azula and the other two girls cowered behind the shield as sharp sound of spring loaded devices and grinding of metals sang through the air succeeding the snap of the rope. It was followed by the sickening sound of fleshy meaty ripping. The trio Fire Nation girls waited until no sound was heard before they lowered their guard.

Zuko was standing upright now, impaled from all sides by almost twenty of the twenty five spears that were aimed at him. One of the metal-tipped spears, the girls noticed, went through his skull, impaling his from the cheek to the throat. Thick red blood dripped from his wounds, pooling below his feet.

Azula took a tentative step and was about to poke her brother's back when Zuko jerked. His hands caught the nearest spears that stabbed his head and neck and snapped them with his grip alone. He turned to Azula, bloody mangled face hideous due to the wound and the scowl… and the broken spear sticking out his face.

"Very funny, Azula", the boy barked after he pulled the broken spear off his face.

"Well, look at the bright side", Azula said lazily as she threw her heavy shield to Ty Lee and broke the spears on Zuko's left with one axe kick. "You just moved up to my favorite brother list."

"You only have one brother", Zuko snarled, working the rest of the spears as Azula showed more interest in the chest now that her way was unobstructed.

"No competition", Azula shrugged as she bent down and scrutinized the lock; her heightened hearing caught a distinct click when Zuko dropped the lid upon him being turned into a pincushion by the trap. "Hmm", she muttered, tapping her chin. She turned around to Zuko, grabbed one of the three spears that stick out of his gut, and pulled it free, eliciting a yelp from her older brother.

"Hey! That one got me right on the belly. It tickled!"

"Oh, you're so ticklish", Azula cooed as she playfully scratched the boy's bloody punctured gut, making Zuko yelp some more.

"You're crazy, you know that?!" Zuko snapped angrily, stepping back still with numerous broken spears sticking out of him, making him look like some weird impression of a boar-q-pine or a victim of the war. "Thanks, Mai", he muttered as the pale-faced girl with hair buns moved to him and helped him remove the remaining spears.

"I prefer to call myself…" Azula stuck the spearhead into the rusted lock and kicked forwards; the lock was busted in with a loud crack. "…intellectually unique."

"You ripped that off from Lu Ten", Zuko pulled the last of the spears from his right chest; he glared still at Azula as he walked towards the opened chest as Azula gestured him way with a flourish. Ruby red mist escaped from Zuko's numerous wound and it seeped back in, pulling severed skin closed, drawing the blood back through the surface of his skin. He was as good as new as he arrived at the chest, peering over the content, minus his bloody and ruined clothes.

"Did I, now? And how could you call your baby sister crazy? I'm telling Dad", Azula's fake sad face did not hold against the golden amulet Zuko extracted from the myriad of other golden trinkets. "That's not it", Azula said finally.

Zuko narrowed his eye, the unscarred one, sharply at Azula and Azula knew she would never get used to it no matter how many centuries it had been.

"What?" Azula asked innocently. "It really is not it", she pulled out a piece of leather scroll and unrolled it in front of Zuko. "The one we're looking for has—"

Cutting Azula midsentence was an explosion so loud and powerful it shook the whole hallway; Azula toppled and caught Zuko's arm for balance, Mai slumped against the wall, and a layer of cobweb fell on Ty Lee's hair and she screamed.

Coming from the other end of the cramped hallway were a group of three men and two women; rough looking with soot and grime on their faces and arms, big and burly the men were and the women, one of them were rough and hardy, well-muscled, while the other looked rather meek but graceful like a noble-born her red robe suggested. Unlike the meek small lady, the others were wearing a mix of various mismatched leather and metal armors and protectors and were armed with blades and axes. One of the big men was also wearing a bandolier of exploding jelly stick across his chest.

"They're just a bunch of kids!" one of the rough man said, sneering at the robed meek-looking lady as she muttered. "Told you there's someone here."

"These people didn't trigger any Ancient magic?" Mai voiced her opinion. "They're not exactly subtle. What kind of idiots brings explosives to explore a ruin?"

"Now, kids!" the rough man from before boomed; the kids, especially Zuko who was busy rummaging the chest, were unfazed. "Hand over the treasure or we gonna have some real problem here!"

"Who are these people?" Ty Lee asked the other two girls; Mai and Azula replied with, "Treasure hunters" and "Dinner", respectively.

Not even the treasure hunters/dinner's screaming and the chaotic noise of their feeble resistance disturb Zuko from his task; he was born with that assertive driven nature. When he got his head out of the chest, grinning as he held a golden locket with a ruby centerpiece, he turned and announced his triumph. "Hey, I found— What the…?"

* * *

"The Unnatural are the embodiment of evil", the Air Monk droned on, walking through the class of twenty eight acolytes, each was seated on the floor, at a stone desk that was set, carved almost, into the stone floor below. Large windows on the three sides of the classroom made the whole establishment looked like a terrace with pillars and a roof. "The duty of the Air Nomads is to bring enlightenment to the Unnatural."

The Air Monk continued, eyes closed as he let himself feel the words that were the sacred foundation of his Order. Wind flowed in, fluttering his flowing yellow and orange monk robe and his long thin beard. His hand counted the small prayers beads as he counted the Precepts of the Air Nomads; ten like the number of the grape-sized beads.

"The World is in darkness", the Air Monk recited. "The duty of the Air Nomads is to bring light to dark places."

"Master", a young boy of five or six raised his hand; the elderly Air Monk scowled at the interruption. "Master, what is the Unnatural?"

A vein popped in the Air Monk's bald temple as he was being interrupted yet again by another boy, a twelve-year-old with big gray eyes and a huge grin. "The Unnatural are monsters, of course. You know, like the Water Tribe werewolves and the Fire Nation vampires."

"Pupil Aang!" the Air Monk snapped; the way the twelve-year-old sounded so cheery was so… wrong. This is serious stuff here. "You…" he stopped short; Aang looked up to him with a shocked big doe-eyes. "…forgot… to mention the others. Trolls, goblins, ghosts."

Aang grin made a return. "And the kappa, and the oni, and the—"

The Air Monk sighed; he was not sure if kindness was really a virtue.

"So", Aang continued his lecture as he and a group of boys his age were walking down the steps to the lemur courtyard after the class was over. "Basically, all the creatures that harm human on purpose."

"What about regular carnivores? Or the giant creatures like the unagi and the sea serpent?" a small stout boy asked.

"Well, they might be monsters", Aang explained kindly. "But, they're not Unnatural. For one, they don't actively seek out to harm human; the unagi protects the Kyoshi Island and is revered as a guardian while the sea serpent protects the sea from pollution and intruders. I think, to be considered Unnatural, non-human creatures must be like a kappa or an oni; they actually attack villages and snatch human. They won't even go for the cattle."

"Aang?"

"Yes, Matu?" Aang turned to the youngest of the group.

"What are vam-pie-errs?"

"Vampires", Aang chuckled fondly. "They're cursed humans. They must drink blood in order to survive."

"Why? What's wrong with their own blood?"

"They don't have any. They can't make their own blood, so they kill human and drink their blood."

The group went. "Ewwww!"

"Hey, Aang, will you be joining us for airbending ball later?" another kid asked.

"No, sorry, Teeka", Aang rubbed his bald head. "I have to go gather some herbs for Gyatso."

So, after bidding his 'see you later', Aang did exactly that.

The Southern Air Temple was literally carved into and out of a mountain; it was the way of the Air Element. Harmony with Nature.

Hopping down the rocky hill leading to the meadow and woodland at the foot of the gigantic mountain, Aang employed his airbending to great effect. He leaped down tens of feet to the ground and halted midair as he instinctively bent a layer of moving air around him, and he hovered down soundlessly to the grassy patch below.

He took a big sniff of the crisp autumn air; the smell of weed, moist ground, and trees entered his system. A lemur flew to his shoulder and he giggled at it. "Hi, Momo", he said, stroking the small creature's head. "How's your day?"

The lemur chirped incoherently.

"Yeah, mine's great too", Aang replied. He leaped forwards with the air of his bending, covering around three feet per step easily.

Aang entered the forest as he would any other place; almost reckless was his easygoing nature as he trotted through the woods. The young acolyte summoned his chi on his feet and spun; a whirling breeze carried him up to the tall thin pine tree. Aang caught the thick branch and was greeted by the merry chirping of three sparrowkeet hatchlings.

"Oh, hey", Aang beamed. "Your siblings have hatched", he said to the one in the middle. "Congrats, buddy!"

Laughing, dangling from the branch precariously, he reached into his tunic and emptied a pouch of bread crumb into the nest. "See you around!" he said before leaping down harmlessly.

The young Air Acolyte continued his trek through the forest; Momo jumped down from his shoulder and began scrounging around for wild berries and fruit while still keeping within distance.

Aang halted as his ear picked up the rustling from the bush nearby. He turned to it and a small pup peeked out of the foliage. It tentatively stepped out and sniffed the air; once it noticed Aang's boots, it showed more confidence as it raced towards the young airbender with wagging tongue and tail.

"Hey, buddy", Aang greeted as he crouched down and picked the pup up. A half-wolf.

"Here", he placed the pup on his arm like a baby; his free hand dug though his tunic. "I brought something for you."

The boy pulled out a small pie with bright yellow filling, pristinely kept in his chest pocket though only the spirits know how. "It's egg custard", he said, holding it to the pup's nose. The creature sniffed it briefly before taking it into its mouth whole. "I knew you'd like it", Aang giggled, an innocent kind of sound. "It's my favorite too. Sorry I can't get you any meat. The monks are all vegetarians."

He picked up the crumbs on the pup's chest and fed it to the creature. "You know", Aang began again. "They said the wolves of the Water Tribe are evil, that they are Unnatural and they are the enemy of humankind", Aang lifted the pup up by the chest under its front legs; its adorable face looked back to him as it licked the aftertaste of custard in its mouth. "But, you're not evil, are you? You're not my enemy, right?"

The pup's answer was the way it licked the tip of Aang's nose, making him chuckle. "I knew you're not", he said.

His glee was interrupted by the pup suddenly squirming, asking to be let down. Aang lowered it down and it jumped to the ground and started running away.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Aang asked as he hurried after the pup; Momo's ears twitched up and he abandoned his berries as he leaped and flew after Aang.

The half-wolf pup led the airbender and the winged lemur though tight woods to a low ledge that it leaped over in ease; Aang leaped down after it and found a fallen and rotted tree trunk that had been hollowed out in the middle by a large mountain wolf that was now dead and surrounded by five of its pups, including the one that Aang had befriended.

"Oh", the airbender said, face turning sad; even Momo lowered his ears and crouched low, as if showing condolence. "I'm sorry, buddy", Aang said quietly as he stepped closer, bowing in reference with a hand gesture of knuckles pressing against each other; the most formal form of Air Nomad bow.

The pups howled.

* * *

The large black wolf opened its eyes; icy blue, alert and sharp. Its large ear twitched at the sound of the distance howling. It grunted; vapor escaped it's large snout. Dark was the ice cave he was holing up in. Only the numerous pairs of icy blue eyes like his were visible from the outside. It raced out first, patting away on the icy tundra, leading a herd of misshapen gigantic wolves like itself.

Their heads were almost too big, their shoulders were almost too broad, and their front legs were almost too thick for their slim waist and they were disproportionate to their supple rear legs. And the way they raced through the tundra, the movement of their bodies, the way the weight shifted and limbs moved; it was more simian than canine.

They covered great distance in a short moment of time for their speed was legendary. The pack raced through the ice plain and down the hill, down to the settlement of igloos; round ice buildings flocking around a square where numerous women and children were living out their daily lives.

The alpha wolf roared terribly; rough guttural sound that chilled blood and froze the soul. The women and children froze instantly as the flock of giant wolves twice the size of an adult man flooded in the settlement. All fifty of them.

The wolves skidded to stop at the two females in the square; an old wrinkled woman carrying a basket of dried fish and a young teenager of thirteen, turning fourteen, carrying similar basket. Both were tan-skinned and blue-eyed and were wearing their hair in the Water Tribe hair-loopies. They both looked surprised.

They should be. Even more so when the wolves, starting from the leader of the pack, stood. Yes, _stood_.

The front legs were lifted up; they were not legs. They were arms, with hands that looked primate with four bulky fingers and an opposable thumb and arms that were muscular with biceps and triceps that resembled human arms. Chests and guts covered with finer fur than the rest of their bodies showed off well-toned muscles that were also more human than beast. The feet of their legs were long and clawed with talons of wickedly sharp and dark like the ones crowning each of their fingers.

The werewolves howled long and solemn, showing reverence to the twilight sky above.

They settled. The leader stared down the two smaller human females in front of him. He twitched, muscle flexing hard, tremors setting in his system. The rest of his pack followed suit.

They shrank gradually. Fingers, arms, and legs shrinking; fur disappearing into their tan skin; snouts being sucked in, shrinking and reshaping into human face.

Hakoda grunted as the transformation was completed. He stood straighter and cracked his neck. The werewolf transformation was a pure physical exercise. Bare-chested, he grinned widely at his mother and daughter in front of him. He let out a low chuckle, mimicked by the group of bare-chested and bare-footed men behind him; all were naked safe for their baggy shorts.

"Eww, Sokka!" the teenaged girl screamed, averting her no-longer-virgin eyes away quickly and shielding them with her hand. "Put on some pants!"

"Sorry!" a red-faced skinny boy shouted back, racing quickly into a nearby igloo butt-naked, accompanied by the laughter of the whole village.

* * *

The young teenaged earthbender heard the footsteps tapping away at the rooftop tiles. They were too closely sequenced to be caused by any bipedal creature. Quadrupedal, obviously. It was night and dark in Tianshui. The alleyway on the dwelling area was especially dark despite the full moon shining over his head. The wind blew mightily strong that night; the city guards had undergone the safety protocol where they doused off street torches and lanterns to minimize fire accident.

It was most disadvantageous for the boy.

Long brown hair fluttered to the front as a strong wind blew on his back. He pushed his long hair back, two long bangs on the side of his face, spilling from his headband and hair bun fluttered wildly in front of him. Shiver ran down his slightly tan skin, his fists curling and uncurling slightly, loosening the muscle of his arms beneath the sleeves of his yellowish-brown shirt and beige outer vest. The toes of his bare feet gripped hard on the earth, feeling the security in his Element's presence.

The thin, mangy, but agile werewolf jumped down from the roof and would have pounced at him from the side had a large boulder not came flying and hit the beast in time. The boy was taken aback.

"Look alive, Haru!" an elderly but sturdy, tall, and strong-looking man arrived. The man was tall and his shoulder was broad. He wore similar outfit as the boy, Haru. The top of his head was bald, though his hair that clung to the back of his head was long and bushy; gray like his bushy beard that reached down to his collarbone. He was also barefooted and was in the middle of sending another chunk of rock at the werewolf.

The creature whined as it was knocked to the wall of the narrow alleyway and quickly scrambled to its feet and hands and began scurrying away like a wounded dog. The large man led the chase but the beast of such kind was known for its speed. They quickly lost track of it as they reached the vast and deserted market square.

The two males halted in the middle of the square, heaving a little to regulate their breaths.

"Do you see it, Dad?" Haru whispered, eyes scanning their surrounding of many vendor carts and stands.

"No", the old earthbender replied, looking down for some print on the muddy ground.

"Where did it go?" Haru hissed gravely; his nerves tingled with anticipation as if the beast would jump at him at anytime, which it would.

"Tyro!" a booming voice drew their attention to their left. A group of six men emerged. Most of them were armed with weapons, mostly from the pole-arm category.

Before they joined Tyro and Haru though, a shadow lunged at them, dispersing them and pinning one below its massive figure. Roaring, the beast's claws mangled the unfortunate man, leaving him writhing and bleeding on the ground. Dodging the sudden attack from the remaining men, who regained their composure and tried to impale the creature with their spears and halberd, the werewolf lashed out at them. The werewolf swung its emaciated looking but swift and strong arms, deflecting the blows but suffered one spear thrust to its side.

Whining like a wounded dog it was, the werewolf snapped the shaft of the spear with one swing of its arm and, with another backhand swing, sent the spearmen flying and crashing at an empty vendor stand five meters away. One more backhand swing deflected a series of spears and halberd thrust, so strong half of the men toppled. Another swing sent the rest but one flying.

The last standing man dropped his cumbersome halberd; long weapons are great for keeping werewolves at bay but when one was standing a breath away you can smell its stink of wet dog hair and unwashed body, it would be wiser to opt for a shorter and bladed weapon. The man drew his dagger but before he could plunge it at the werewolf's heart, the beast seized his arm. Grunting, the man endured a breathy snort the beast's snout blew to his face; foul viscous saliva dripped down its snarling fangs. The beast's long-fingered and sharp-taloned claw twisted slowly and the man screamed as his arm was crushed. His dagger dropped in a wet thump on the mushy ground below.

A particularly hard round boulder came flying to the beast; the werewolf was ready this time. Its free thin hand caught the condensed rock before the mass of earth hit its head; he turned its ugly beastly snarl at Tyro and Haru who was stunned in their identical stances. The werewolf grunted roughly as it crushed the man's arm and the rock at the same time. It turned completely at the duo father-and-son and, with a sharp swing, threw the captured man by his limp arm to the side like he was a ragdoll.

Tyro and Haru stomped the earth below them and a pile of moist earth erupted between them; the father and son compressed the moist and soft earth into a smaller but denser earth ball but had to abandon the compressed earth ball as the werewolf jumped on it, forcing the two unarmed benders to leap away to a safe distance.

The werewolf turned and growled at Haru; the boy could feel his heart thumping hard against his ribs it hurt him as he willed his body to move. Tyro stomped the ground and the very earth sank beneath the werewolf's very feet, trapping him knee deep under the earth. Tyro screamed as he pounced at the beast's back and stabbed a dagger at its back. The werewolf let out a roar of pain and reached up for Tyro; it gripped the man's back and threw him towards Haru.

They crashed into a pile of bodies at the foot of a wooden vendor stand that shook mightily at the collision. Pushing itself up, the werewolf freed itself but the ground broke into an earthen shockwave that swoop it off its feet. The grunt it made as it slammed its back hard on the ground was almost human.

The werewolf leaped up quickly and dashed towards the sneak attacker; a small short girl with dark hair tied into a large bun, with fringe of her dark hair barring her forehead and eyes, her blind eyes that was the color of green porcelain. She was clad in some sort of black metal armor and dragged one of her bare feet forward, channeling her unique bending skill to sense the vibration the stampeding werewolf made.

The girl stomped forward and brought her arms together like a pair of shutting doors in front of her; the two emerging slabs of earth that was supposed to clamp the werewolf at its right and left broke into rubble as the beast lashed out at them with its powerful arms without slowing down.

The girl barely had time to move a muscle when the beast lunged at her, pinning her by the forearm; it had scratched its razor sharp talons at her chest, leaving dent and scratch lines on the black metal armor. The armor stood but the force made her chest sore and she was sure it would leave a bruise at least.

Next, the girl had the unfortunate experience of having a giant beastly canine mouth breathing inches away from her face. The stench of the werewolf breath was unbearable, the moist of its hot breath was simply disgusting as it hit the whole of her face.

Suddenly, the beast whined and was thrown to the side as a pair of men speared the side of its gut and pushed it away from the girl.

"Toph, are you okay?!" Haru arrived by the girl's side, clutching his side. He offered a hand but Toph, the blind girl, simply rammed her fists down; the earth vibrated and propelled herself up.

"Yech!" the girl spat a mouthful to the ground, wiping her tongue with her hand roughly. "I swallowed some wolf's breath!"

Haru grinned at her despite the flaring pain at his ribs.

"It's almost dawn", Haru said, looking up to the golden streak of on the sky above. "The sun's coming up."

"Oh, yeah", Toph said with a sarcastic tone. "What a beautiful view."

Haru grinned again but in pain. Toph stomped away to the trapped werewolf. Tyro and the survivor pinned the whining and growling beast down on the ground with the two spears that pierced its side, twisting and pushing harder whenever the beast made any movement other than the heavy rising up and down of its bony heaving chest.

The beast glared at them.

It was a pitiful sight.

More and more men from their hunting party came to the market square as they located the source of the commotion. Tyro slumped down on a nearby cart as ten more spearmen and benders joined them. He was wounded too and with this many men, he felt more secure.

"Tyro, do we kill it now?" one of the newcomers from the party asked the elderly bender.

"It's helpless now", Tyro sighed, wincing in pain from his cracked ribs and the stinging on his clawed back. "Tend to the wounded first. We can finish this one off later", the man stood up and glared back at the beast's icy blue eyes. "The sun is rising. When the full moon passes, it will be nothing but a man. We can kill it more easily then."

The man nodded and nodded at the group; three of them dashed along with him to the wounded while the rest readied their weapons and pointed it at the werewolf.

The beast glared at them still, heaving from pain and exhaustion. But, the first ray of sunshine emerged and shed a soft and gentle golden light on the square. The werewolf's eyes grew wide and it froze. It scrambled up to its feet quickly, almost like it was caused by an electric shock; the two spears tore its flesh and were dislodged by the sudden movement.

The men screamed and shouted, stepping back with their pole-arms ready but the beast made no move to attack. It growled and snarled, snapping its fanged jaws at them but it did not bite. The whole action was painfully defensive. The werewolf gripped its chest, staggering and roaring; the similarities of its mannerism were growing more and more towards the human side.

The beast let out a long high howl as its limbs, ears, and snout contorted and shrunk, its dark mangy fur shrunk back to its skin, and its skin lost its ghostly and sickly bluish-pale tone and it was replaced by the color of Earth Kingdom light tan. Its icy blue irises dissolved like a layer of frost and revealed a hue of dark brown.

The crescendo of its canine howl was smoothly overtaken by the screaming of a sixteen year old boy.

It surprised everyone when the naked male fell to a curling and bloody heap on the ground, writhing and grunting in pain from his numerous bloody wounds.

"What…?" Tyro breathed at the sight of the teenager not much older than his own son, Haru. "You're just a kid…"

"NOOO! JEEEETT!" a husky faraway scream of a female reached their ears.

Three arrows flew towards the hunters.

* * *

The woman gasped as her full lips parted.

A nightmare…

She had fallen asleep in the lounge chair in her porch; the gentle early phase of sunrise fell upon her. Her thick green cotton garb shielded her from the autumn and the cold wet morning air it carried but she shivered. The chill was too much for her.

The sense of foreboding was strong and sickening; she felt her organs growing cold, chilling her uncomfortably from inside out.

Fear…

It had become foreign to her.

The woman stood and she was huge. Tall and broadly muscular, the woman stood two or three heads taller than a regular man. Her countenance was stern and solid, rigid, as she stared deeply at the streaks of sunlight at the horizon above the ocean her moss-colored eyes gazed into from the humble hut she lived in with her young daughter on top of the hill.

The woman sighed deeply but subtly for she was the Earth itself before she turned around and walked into her house. It was a humble hut, really; a traditional one room hut. The wooden floor had a square hole in the middle where it left an impression of smoothen earth. The earthen part had a pile of waning fire pit below a cooking pot suspended above the fire pit by wooden cooking rig.

A simple futon was set on each side of the small hut; one of them was occupied by a young girl of eight-year-old. Well, seven and three quarter, the woman reminded herself with a smile. A small rigid smile that was nonetheless sincere and true. She stepped carefully towards her daughter, trying not to cause too much noise on the creaking floorboards. She knelt down and tugged the girl in her thrown blanket and, in a show of motherly affection she rarely showed in front of people, she leaned down and kissed the small girl on the forehead.

Her gaze lasted long on the little girl's round face; the girl was her daughter, after all.

When she finally got up, her legs were almost numb from kneeling too long. The woman walked toward the bathroom and washed her face. She prepared herself for the early morning as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb her daughter's restful sleep; children need to sleep a lot, she often said.

When she was dressed fifteen minutes later in heavy grass-green silk kimono and light armor, with a line running on the length of her sleeves and a golden circle pattern on each of the gloved armguard and the upper arm of the sleeves, she sat down on a chair in front of a small vanity mirror and applied a white base of her makeup on the entirety of her face. She wiped a deep-red lipstick on her full lips and red powder of the same hue above her eyes, making the shade fanned out below her thick brows and up to her temples.

She tied her thick voluminous brown hair next with a simple headband and put on her golden headdress last; the shape of twin golden fans fixed on her forehead looked like a half circle.

She reached for her weapons, her twin and tasseled golden war-fans, and tugged them on her sash behind her back. She stood up and was ready for another day in her life.

The woman allow herself one last long and longing gaze on her sleeping daughter before she exited the hut, closing the door as silently as she could.

Her heavy boots left a deep impression on the moist ground below, she noticed. The constant rain in the autumn might have escalated the risk of avalanche and she made a mental note to check this out. She took long heavy stride down the earthen steps down the hill that led to the clearing where a group of young female had congregated and was in the middle of their early morning meditation.

The large woman arrived and made no effort to mask her heavy footsteps. The group of young females opened their eyes and concluded their meditation. They bowed and greeted, each was clad in outfit similar to the large woman's and wore makeup like hers; the only difference was that the younger females wore less ornate headdress.

"Suki", the large woman nodded her greeting at the oldest of the group; a sixteen-year-old girl with shoulder-length auburn hair and big violet eyes. "Begin the training."

The violet-eyed youth bowed once more. "Right away, Master Kyoshi."

* * *

The Four Nations: the Great Earth Kingdom, the ever-evolving Fire Nation, the close-knitted Water Tribe, and the Monastic Order of the Air Nomads.

Peace is an illusion.

The sporadic warring periods between the neighboring Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom had left many scars in the land and in the people. The Fire Nation was smaller but its military was mighty.

Thousands of years ago, Fire Lord Sozin started yet another campaign against the Earth Kingdom. The surprise attack of numerous wave of the Fire Nation's mighty navy had conquered a large part of the Earth Kingdom western territories almost in a single night, froming what now was known as the Colonies.

Battles and skirmishes were fought for years to come, truces and treaties were agreed upon and broken on spirits-know-how-many-occasions.

They said the millennia of war, suffering, intrigue, and betrayal had angered the spirits and thrown the world off balance. The once peaceful world was now crawling with creatures and beasts from the dark corner of human nightmare.

The worst of which was those born into, or from, human hosts: vampires and were-beasts.

The most prominent were the Fire Nation Royal Vampires, blood-suckers that had taken control of Sozin's line completely and been reigning the great Nation since as long as any Fire National could remember; and the Water Tribe lycans, male hunter-warrior werewolves who, according to legend, were descended from an unholy union between a woman and a wolf spirit.

The Monastic Order of the Air Nomad had taken a neutral stance in the war but had made it their sacred duty to protect the good people of the Four Nations from the Unnatural, a blanket term that covered from the most human vampires and were-beasts to the lowest kind of flesh-eating imps and blood-sucking hellfire spider-flies; any creatures or human-hybrid that harm the helpless on purpose.

The Earth Kingdom had been plagued by its own problem for the Kingdom's lust forest and mountains hosts the most terrifying menagerie of Unnatural beasts and the curse of vampirism and lycanthropy had long since caught her people and spread among the populace due to the war and the intermingling of the people it caused.

It was a chaotic time to live in, indeed.

Death was common and the regular folks lived in fear of the war and the Unnatural.

It was the era of chaos.

The era of legends…


	2. Chapter 2 - Graduation

**Chapter 2 – Graduation **

Disclaimer: still making no profit!

* * *

Sako waited as she lied in the bed, naked. The Fire Nation commander, the plump, potbellied, and gray-haired of a dog, was lying on his front in the wide bed of his in the encampment; his large calloused hand was currently gripping the woman's breast, cupping her rather voluptuous bosom. Sako sighed deeply as she extracted herself from the man's arm, hugging the cover to her chest to cover herself.

_Men_, she thought. Fire Nation men, worse yet. They paid good but they were… say, _passionate_ in the love making arena. Sako was experienced and even she had had a hard time keeping up with one like the swine-cow of a commander. She knew she would bruise but, right now, she was more interested in getting out of the camp.

She dressed herself in the fancy looking heavy robe she was wearing when she came in; she wore nothing underneath for she had never had used of underwear anyway. She tied her hair hastily and picked up the promised money the commander had put on the desk nearby.

Fire Nation men paid good money, indeed.

The prostitute exited the commander's tent and walked through the encampment of the Fire Nation soldiers, dodging whistles and groping hands as her bare feet carried her out of the camp. She fended them off with playful seduction and playing along; experience had taught her it was the best way. Give them something, enough to wet their lips, but not so much they would think she was willing to quench their thirst.

She finally found herself walking down the forest path. She tied her money pouch to her sash and pulled from the folds of her belt a smudge of dried oleander and white jade leave. She put the bitter but fragrant tasting herb in her mouth and chewed, swallowing the juice. A traditional anti-pregnancy herb that was known more for the easiness to find the ingredients and not so much on safety and efficacy.

She was not supposed to swallow the herb but she did that as the arrow caught her by surprised at the middle of her spine. Shock set in as she lay face first on the ground; gold and silver coins spilt from her pouch in front of her face, blood flowed from her mouth, flooding around the metals.

She felt cold…

Actually, she could not feel anything at all. She felt spastic jolts emerging inside her but there was an invisible wall of numb that buffered it out. She did not know what happened and she was afraid. With her right ear pressed on the ground, she could hear footsteps coming closer and closer, snapping crunchy brown autumn leaves at their wake.

She was afraid…

Sako did not want to die. She did not know why she had to die. Sure what she did was shameful but what a girl like her to do in this war-torn part of the world without families or friends. Besides, it was the war that brought this fate, this profession onto her; a group of soldiers from big cities like Omashu and Tianshui with their honeyed words and empty promises. It was their fault, not Sako's.

Sako did not want to die.

The figure's black boots arrived on the spot right in front of her face. She tried to look up but she could not move; she tried to make a sound but her mouth allowed only a weak gurgling.

Sako was dying.

The figure drew back one of his black-metal-plated boots and knelt down; his light and dark robe veiled down like the darkness that was beginning to envelope Sako's vision. The darkness blinked but Sako could see fingerless-gloved hand picking up the coins and stacking them neatly in a dark handkerchief, blood still on and all. Sako could see her blood staining the figure's fingertips and it felt weird to her, or it would have been were she not so numb.

It was an unusual sensation when Sako saw her own hand being pulled up in front of her face and put on the make-do pouch of money and a single purple nightshade flower. The figure grasped her hand on the pile and Sako felt nothing of it; it was like she was seeing somebody else's hand. Not hers.

Sako died a minute later, gripping her money and a single nightshade flower…

-B-L-O-O-D-

"This is unusual", the stern-looking Air Monk with thick long brows and a goatee that was snow white like his brows commented.

"I agree", another elderly Air Monk commented; tall and younger unlike the earlier old and hunched monk, he looked calm and serene, sporting long arcing moustache that added more fatherly atmosphere to his face. "But, you have to admit, this is a good reading."

"This is supposed to be a scientific paper, Gyatso!" the first Air Monk snapped. "This… _doodle_ reads like a novel!"

"Aang made quite an effort", Gyatso shrugged airily. "You can see that here and there, there are signs of—"

A third monk cleared his throat; Gyatso and the other monk turned to him and waited for his verdict. Seated at the bench of the small patio, the tall, deceptively muscular monk, looked young due to the brown color of the hair of his thick brows that sort of fixed into a unibrow and his thin long moustache. Turning his stormy gray eyes to the first monk, he spoke with a voice that was like a distant thunder; calm but powerful.

"Tashi", he said, addressing the thin hunched monk, finally rolling the scroll he was reading. "You are right; the style of the writing needs a lot of work."

The hunched monk threw Gyatso a smug look; Gyatso remained impassive.

"However", the unibrowed monk continued, making Tashi's smug melt. "Gyatso is also right. We cannot put style over knowledge. Pupil Aang certainly shows wisdom despite his young age", he handed the scroll to Gyatso, much to Tashi's chagrin; Gyatso received it but the monk held it firm. "See to it that you properly value his worth", the monk said before he let go of the scroll.

-B-L-O-O-D-

The four Fire Nation youths rode in their carriage in silence. Ty Lee was positively napping; their excursion to the Ancient ruin and the, shall we say, _confrontation_ with the treasure hunters had left her drained of much energy. Azula often chided her of her tendency to jump around playing with her opponents; the amber-eyed girl herself had an almost religious preference to precise and swift style of fighting, ending a battle quickly in the matter of seconds. Mai and her throwing knives seemed to agree.

But, Ty Lee thought, with head resting on Azula's lap, it was more fun fighting the way she did.

"Are we there yet?" the usually bubbly girl asked, yawning.

"No, not yet", Azula sighed, stroking the exhausted girl's head. "There's still the ride to Hing Wa Island, then the ferry ride to Red Pearl Island, and then we have to stay a day before the airship's coming to pick us up."

Ty Lee whined weakly. "Didn't we arrive at Red Pearl Island yesterday? I mean, are we _not_ in Red Pearl Island?"

"Oh, poor Ty Lee", Azula cooed, patting the brown-haired girl's forehead a bit. "You're obviously delusional from blood deficiency."

"I am?" Ty Lee asked with such candor.

"Of course, you are", Azula said. "We're just about to go to the pier today to catch a ferry to Hing Wa Island, remember? We're still in White Sand Island."

"Oh… yeah…" Ty Lee sighed. "Maybe you're right, Azula", her shoulders slumped. "I need some sleep."

"Oh, yes, you do", Azula, with all the good intention, wiped the bubbly girl's hair off her forehead and covered her closed gray eyes with her palm so the sunlight would not disturb her; Azula's free hand though snapped its fingers twice and Mai and Zuko, sitting on the seat in across from them, each placed a gold piece in it. Azula flashed them a smug smile as she pocketed her winning.

They spent the rest of their carriage ride in relative peace; not a word was spoken. Mai and Zuko simply leaned to each other, both were sporting similar looking expression of boredom. It totally perplexed Azula how those two were still together after all these centuries. She thought they would grow bored of each other sometimes after the first fifty years. Azula was wrong and she was rarely wrong.

Azula had few friends. Actually, she had just two; Mai and Ty Lee. Being an almost 1400 years old vampire Princess did that to her. Her father, Fire Prince Ozai, was an immensely powerful vampire royal who, for better or worse, had always been rather protective of his only daughter. The first few centuries of her life, Azula spent in the confinement of their palace, perfecting her skills in bending and martial arts and deepening her knowledge in the Ancients' lore and magic.

She had been overqualified for any of the usual Fire Princess duties long before her physical body hit puberty and yet her father had only allowed her to get out and carry out field work like conducting inspection on the outer islands or exploring ruins and jungles to find artifacts and vanquish beasts when the girl hit a millennium; and it was after a very very heated argument too. And Azula's first time away from the palace had been when she was given the duty to inspect Dragontail Mountain for any volcanic activity. Her Fire Prince of a father had sent her with an armada of the elite Royal Procession and two High Admirals as advisors.

Also, during the excursion, Azula caught a dark shadow creeping around her wherever she went that she knew was her father.

She loved the man, really. But, she was going through a rebellious phase and she often found her father's lack of overprotectiveness towards Zuko a little insulting. She knew she was better than her brother at anything and yet she was the one being babied around.

The rain fell outside, rapping the metal plate on their carriage's roof.

Zuko reached out to close the window but the sound woke Ty Lee up.

"Is it raining?" the still exhausted girl asked with a hoarse voice, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Yes", Azula tapped the crease on her trousers where Ty Lee had been using as a pillow; she crossed her legs and rested her hands on her knee. "We should arrive at the airship soon."

"Airship?" Ty Lee frowned. "Aren't we heading to the pier? Don't we have a ferry to catch?"

Azula blinked in confusion. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked, truly sounding lost. "What ferry? We're in Red Pearl Island. We're going to take our airship back to the Royal Palace, remember?"

Now, it was Ty Lee's turn to look confused. "Aren't we on… _what_?"

"Oh, poor thing", Azula sympathized. "You must still be blood deprived from our fight with the treasure hunters. Try to rest some more", she claimed another two pieces of gold when Ty Lee buried her groaning face in her hands and rubbed her hurting head.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Gyatso sipped his ginseng tea calmly, sitting in a lotus position on the cushioned stone bench of his humble room. Limestone furniture of a round table, a small bed and two sets of nightstand, and a Pai Sho table by the window looked small in the vast room. Gyatso sat on a cushion on the floor below the window; large unclosed panels that lined up his wall, wind whistling in, fluttering the heavy brocade curtain.

Gyatso sipped his tea once more before he set out to do the task he should have done moments ago; the wind was lovely that day and it distracted him. The elderly monk waved a hand; small puff of wind levitated the unfurled scroll from the floor to his receiving hands.

_The Dichotomy of Fire Nation Vampires and Water Tribe Werewolf: A Literature Review._

_By Aang._

_The Unnatural, a blanket term referring to any numbers of creatures, beasts, monsters, and hybrid-human that seek to harm common people, is often exclusively used for vampires and werewolves._

Gyatso sighed at this, already feeling the migraine taunting him from the back of his head.

_I. Definition and Origin_

_Vampire_

_Simply put, vampires are blood-suckers. Their peculiar inner anatomy makes them unable to produce their own blood. According to popular legend, the first vampire was a Fire Nation alchemist who, in the alchemical search for eternal life, performed experiments with blood of long-living animals such as hornet-bats, lion-turtles, and serpent-swans, produced an elixir of longevity. Another popular myth said that it was the result of a Blood Pact with a dark spirit._

_Either way, it was said that vampires possess heightened senses, superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes; the members of the Pure Blood are also said to have an affinity for magic. Such powers come with a price. While a regular person draws strength from their chi (that flows with the blood), the inner chi pathways of a vampire draw chi from the blood rather excessively, resulting in the destruction of the blood itself. However, vampires physical strength required strong bones and muscle tissue. One of the changes that took place when a vampire is created is the mutation of the bone structure; vampires don't…_

Gyatso winced at the constriction.

… _have bon_ (Gyatso also winced at the typo) _marrow_. _They are unable to produce their own blood naturally. Therefore, vampires rely heavily on outer source of blood. Vampires hunt humans and sometimes animals to feed upon._

_Evolution Theory suggests that earlier vampires are dependent on the blood type of their human victims. Drinking blood of different types would cause the blood in their system to coagulate and cause harm to their body. However, centuries of evolution has altered their digestive system and their stomach secreted an enzyme that prevents blood coagulation before they distributed the blood to their other major organs. Modern vampires can even survive on animal blood._

Gyatso nodded his head approvingly at this.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Ty Lee staggered ahead like a drunkard; Azula watched her, nerve on edge whenever Ty Lee planted a step, unsteady step, ahead. Mai and Zuko watched Azula with anticipation perfectly masked behind their deadpan expression. The airship that was hovering in wait for them at the edge of the cliff was majestic.

Black refined lightweight metal blimp with a gold-plated dragon head at the front. Fire Nation red and gold lines running on the surface, forming obscure shapes of flame and cloud. With the backdrop of golden twilight sky, the sunlight bouncing off the metal plating, the whole vehicle looked like a giant shiny onyx gem.

A gangplank was set to the cliff, covered by a red carpet that ran to the ground before them, framed at the right and left by eight Royal Procession soldiers on each side. The moment Ty Lee's right foot stepped on slightly raised gangplank, she wobbled again and was struggling for balance.

Azula gasp caught her throat; Mai and Zuko showed no emotion despite the jolt in their guts.

"Ty Lee", Azula spoke as if the words physically hurt her. "Here", she reluctantly handed the pale girl in pink a vial of dark red liquid.

Ty Lee gasped and looked hurt despite the gesture. "You said you guys were out!" she screamed.

Azula was a great liar. But, sometimes… "I forgot to check my other pocket"… she was drop-dead dorky.

Ty Lee exasperated as she snatched the vial and stomped her way angrily into the airship; Mai and Zuko, standing a few steps behind the Princess, watched her still as they counted in their mind. _Five…_

…_four…_

…_three…_

"Ty Lee, wait!"

Zuko groaned and Mai's eyes crinkled without showing much emotion; she raised a dainty hand covered in a fingerless glove and received a gold piece from the Prince. "Told you Azula's a big softie", she gloated.

-B-L-O-O-D-

_Werewolf_

_They are native to the Water Tribe. According to popular legend, the conception of the first werewolf involved a female waterbender and a wolf spirit. Popular version identified them as the waterbender Senna of the Southern Water Tribe and the Great Wolf Amarok. The origin of the werewolf is often tied to the origin of the Northern Water Tribe. Water Tribe folklore tells of how the North Pole used to be a desolate iceland where the Great Wolf spirit Amarok dwelled. Until Senna, a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe, battled it and impressed the spirit with her skills did Amarok admit defeat. He then assumed a form of a man and, enamored…_

Gyatso chuckled at the choice of word.

… _by the Water Tribe maiden's beauty, he fell in love and married Senna. Although, there are some version where supposedly Amarok took advantage of the battle-worn Senna and did things that the monks tell us never to do to a woman._

Gyatso slapped his forehead right on the arrowhead. He must not forget (again) to give Aang the talk.

_Their offspring would later on populate the Northern Water Tribe. However, the union between spirit and man is not without consequence. Senna gave birth to twins; a waterbender girl and a male non-bender. The waterbender girl turned out to be a normal human, while the boy, on his sixteenth birthday looked up to the moon and transformed into a monster. Half man, half wolf. The curse of lycanthropy is identified as the trait of Masculine Yang, and therefore, can't occur in women or in waterbenders. Only non-waterbender men can be a lycanthrope._

-B-L-O-O-D-

The full moon had passed.

The Southern Water Tribe was bustling with celebration. Five teenaged boys were sitting on a raised snowbent pedestals, freezing their arses off. Sokka, being the son of their beloved Chief, was in the middle. All five boys were wearing identical ceremonial clothes of blue and white leather and fur, and face paint of dark blue, a white line streaking from their temples, across their philtrums, and black beneath the line and around their eyes.

The full-fledged Wolf Warriors and their women danced around the bonfire, making merry howling voices with their flapping tongues inside their mouths, synchronizing with the drum music. Katara, sitting on her appointed seat with the females of her family, tried not to laugh too much at the discomfort her brother was showing as he squirmed like a little boy holding a pee in the icy seat of his.

A hand fell upon hers and Katara looked up to her mother; ocean blue eyes like hers and a flock of raven hair neither of her two children inherited, Kya too was holding a laughter. It was part of the endurance test for the newly anointed wolves. A hazing, really. They were to sit on cold pedestals, high where all could see them while the celebration commenced right before their eyes.

As Katara had expected, Sokka was the first to cave in. Screaming something incoherent, the boy jumped out of his seat and raced to the bonfire, sticking his rump to the warmth the flame radiated, accompanied by the cheer of the whole tribe and under a rain of snowballs. Receiving a nod from the Chief, the rest of the boys raced after Sokka to warm themselves as well.

Hakoda stepped down and, with a huge grin on his face, addressed the whole tribe.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Gyatso settled down on the bench in the garden; invisible gale of wind moved around him as the air cocooned him in an orb of soft breeze that fluttered his robe and dusted the bench he was about to sit on. He unrolled the scroll and resumed his reading.

_II. Physicality_

_Under normal circumstance, it is impossible to distinguish the Unnatural_ (again, Gyatso winced at the misnomer) _from normal human_. _In their human forms, vampires and werewolves look just like a regular human being. However, when assuming their Unnatural form, the resemblance would be lessened._

_Vampire_

_When vampires are about to feed, they would always assume a form where their facial features changed. Ridges will be form above their eyes, nose scrunched and turned bat-like, incisors elongating and sharpening. According to Evolution Theory, the earlier vampires were stuck in this form. They somehow learnt to disguise their face to avoid suspicion and in order not to alarm their victims and to better blend in society._

_A form exclusive to the Royal Vampires, vampires that belong to the Fire Nation Royal Family Bloodline and those who were sired by them, they have the ability to use their Life Blood to turn their physique into … _

-B-L-O-O-D-

Zuko stood silently in the airship's training room; a vast empty room devoid of any furniture. Dark and metal like the rest of the rooms, with a raised dais where the instructor would be sitting. A red carpet ran from the dais, across the steps that led to it, to a foot or two of the floor in front of it. On one side of the slanted wall was a series of small portholes barely big enough to fit a person's head.

Zuko opened his eyes and, in an instance, the whole organ turned saffron; he looked up and a mist of ruby red with dark cloud intermingling in it emerged. The mist of Life Blood trailed from his stomach, his Fire Chakra, and it envelope him like a swarm of locust and swirled like a small tempest of blood red and inky black.

It erupted as Zuko roared and he was… _(… a hideous monster of tall menacing stature that is as tall a werewolf. It has lean muscle and grayish skin, its face looked a little like the feeding form of a regular vampire but more monstrous with more pronounced cheekbones and sunken cheeks. Witness account stated that its teeth would grow into all fangs and its fingers would grow longer and stronger, with sharp dark talons. It would also grow a pair of leathery bat-like wings on its back that are capable of flight._

_The theory of using Life Blood as a mean of shrouding oneself is similar in theory to putting on armor. However, no one has yet been able to explain why every Royal Vampire transformation ended up in similar result. If it is indeed like putting on a layer of protection, should they not be able to assume different form? This further bolstered the Blood Pact genesis theory since the mysterious condition of the transformation seems to reflect the curios nature of the spiritual causes._

_Another peculiar feature of the transformation is that Royal Vampire seems to be clad in some sort of metal plate that, according to witness account, is either part of their skin or branded upon them, and a long red and gold three-piece tasset that resembles the one worn as a part of Fire Nation Royal Armor.)_

Zuko's eyes that were now a bright glowing golden disks stayed true forward as he focused every particle of his brain, of his willpower that fueled his Fire Chakra, to retain this form. His monstrous grayish pale face snarled, making his distinctive burn scar on the left side of his face that showed even in his Royal Vampire form contorted terrifyingly.

The Prince felt a surge of energy that the form gifted him… _(…enhanced strength and speed that are comparable to a werewolf's, the ability of flight, and near invulnerability from rapid regeneration…) _tickle him, teasing his mind as it was a curse as much as it was a gift, telling him that he should _use_ the power instead of just standing there like a dumb mule— _no_!

The Royal Vampire twitched and his skin began to hiss and vaporize, cracking and exuding the muddy red and black mist. The mist enveloped him once more and, as it settled, left a sweaty heaving scarred teenaged Fire Prince in its wake for… _(…the form is temporary since the peculiar anatomy of the vampires makes any effort that requires the use of chi consume their blood at rapid pace.)_

A condescendingly slow applause echoed through the room; Azula emerged from the dark corner of the room and walked towards her brother with a smirk that was so her.

"Well done", she commended less than half-heartedly. "Next time, you might want to try actually _moving_ while in that form."

Zuko did not answer for answering means helping her put his foot in his mouth; Azula had ways with words.

-B-L-O-O-D-

The five new wolves were standing in a circle, facing away from the bonfire. Forming a bigger circle around them in the quite village square were full-fledged Wolf Warriors twice their number and size. It was time for their final test.

The full moon had passed and the new wolves would be tested in their ability to call forth the power of their Beast Blood.

They jerked as if electricity ran through them. The Wolf Warriors tensed up. Werewolf transformation is an arduous and straining physical feat. It would not be the first time for a young pup to be dazed by the weight of the transformation and lose control.

But, thanked be the spirits, it did not happen that night.

Five pairs of icy blue eyes stared back at them from the large wolves' heads. _(No theory has yet been able explain the significance of the color blue in the irises of a fully transformed werewolf. While the variety of eye color among Water Tribe is exceptionally limited and Water Tribe with eyes that are not some variant of blue are rare and almost unheard of, parazoologists from Ba Sing Se University had proposed that the many different hue of blue in pureblooded Water Tribe werewolves would assume an identical hue of bright blue that was described as 'bright and glowing icy blue'). _

The young werewolves stayed in their spot, unmoving and heaving. The whole Tribe waited in anticipation. Chief Hakoda stood finally and tossed his heavy fur cloak aside. He removed his clothing as he stepped forward, standing in front of the young wolves in his shorts. He too twitched and transformed; vast was the difference in the speed and effort it took for him to assume the beast form. _(…and like any other physical activity, werewolf transformation can actually be improved by routine practice.)_

Hakoda, twice larger than any of the young wolves howled to the night sky; the young ones, proving their control over their Beast Blood and mental faculty, howled along with the Chief.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Gyatso flashed a smile of thanks at the acolyte-in-duty who served him a pot of warm ginseng tea and a plate of sliced whole fruit pie in the dining hall he was in. The yellow one, banana pie, his favorite. Gyatso was often confounded by the reluctance of many of his fellow temple dwellers to admit that they liked banana pies; the cream looked too much like poop, they often reasoned.

Well, poop shmoop! More for him.

Propping a rather large slice of pie into his mouth, feeling his age toiling on the elasticity of his face, Gyatso returned his attention to the paper he was assessing.

_III. Dichotomy_

"The good part", Gyatso muttered under his breath.

_Vampire powers are bound by the supply of blood in their system while werewolf powers by the phase of the moon. Pureblooded vampires and werewolves have the ability to summon their strength at will. The difference is that werewolves can only access their skill in their beast form and in their human form, they are completely ordinary. _

"…" Gyatso needed a few more seconds to feel the brick hitting his face. "Wait! That's it?!"

He skim-read ahead and, yes, that was it. He rubbed his bald head, thinking that he might have been too quick in dismissing Tashi's admonition. Gyatso would have to admit that he did sort of skim-read the paper only briefly before handing it to the Council for further grading. Feeling tired all of a sudden, he resumed his reading.

_IV. Power and Abilities_

_Vampires_

_Aside from superhuman strength and agility, and heightened senses and reflexes, vampires are known to have rapid regeneration ability. They are immune to diseases, able to neutralize poison and repair damaged tissues with their Life Blood. In their fanged forms, they gained the ability to feed with their sharpened teeth although they do not need to assume such form to consume blood. The sharp teeth helped in puncturing their victim's skin. If the blood is readily available, they could just drink it without having to change._

_Werewolf_

_Unlike vampires, werewolves don't have extraordinary powers in their human form. Their powers need to be turned on by transforming. In their beast form, they gain superhuman power and their senses of smell, hearing, and sight are raised resembling that of a wolf. A comparison study by the Unnatural Science Department of Omashu University, where they compared the sense of smell between a transformed werewolf and a regular wolf-bat, showed that an adult werewolf might actually have more acute senses than regular wolf creatures. Werewolves are also noted to have regenerative ability although not as advanced as vampires. Most of werewolf's traits and ability are physical. Also, werewolf's speed is legendary. Many stories from the folklore tell of werewolves outrunning even the giant eel-hound._

Good enough, thought Gyatso. Most people would have overlooked werewolf's regenerative ability.

_V. Common Myths Regarding the Unnatural_

_Vampires_

_A most persistent myth about vampire is that they are undead. This is myth is born of the fact that vampire can live a long time and retain their youthful appearance. _

Gyatso paused a moment and returned to previous section. He noticed that Aang had not explained vampire's longevity before.

_Vampires aged at a different pace; some hundreds years old vampire still retain the form of a child. They are able to stay alive as long as they have blood in their system. This is similar to keeping a fire pit alive by continuously adding firewood. Careful autopsy on dead vampires conducted by Tianshui Institute of Medical Science had shown that vampires are a living sentient, almost like a separate race of human_.

_Some other popular myths regarding vampires are about…_

-B-L-O-O-D-

_(…their weakness to sunlight, garlic, and their inability to feel emotion and to sleep or consume human food.)_

Ty Lee was… bent in their room, one that she shared with Mai and Azula; a double bunk bed she was supposed to share with Mai and a large king-sized bed Azula was supposed to occupy alone. The acrobat was bent like a scorpion on the floor in front of the window, under a patch of sunlight, chin and upper chest touching the floor while her legs were bent forward with the tips of her toes lightly touching the floor on both sides of her head.

The girl got up and feeling a bit more rejuvenated. She walked to the round dining table in the middle of the room and took a sip of her scarlet bird soup with extra garlic right from the bowl. No spoon. She was still pissed at Azula and when Ty Lee was pissed, she liked to do small but deviant things.

"Hey~" called a rather melodic voice. Ty Lee pointedly ignored that for she was still pissed at the Princess.

_(These have all been proven false although some, especially about their weakness to sunlight and inability to feel emotions, are still there. It may have something to do with the fact that vampires often hunt at night and that to bite into somebody's neck require them to be not squeamish and to be cruel enough to disregard human suffering.)_

"I'm still mad at you", Ty Lee huffed, turning away pouting.

"Come on", Azula practically whined, placed herself on the not so wide seat Ty Lee was in, rather forcefully squeezing her butt in. "I've told you, I didn't know I had one left", she put on a sad remorseful face, putting her chin to the other girl's shoulder. "Why won't you believe me?"

Ty Lee held her skepticism; when one knew Azula since her childhood, one tends to know what a liar she could be and one tends to learn to be careful. Ty Lee was not that foolish to get burnt over and over again. When Azula failed to get the desired response, she opted for a more physical approach. Ty Lee's outfit that exposed her midriff made tickling her an exceedingly easy job.

_(And that nobody ever bothered to find out if vampires have feelings.)_

In the dark night of the Southern Water Tribe, the five young wolves raced across the tundra. The final physical test was ongoing. Werewolf transformation is an extreme physical ordeal, especially for young cubs. The rapid stretching and growing of bones and muscles, and the extreme surge of strength it brings forth, often left them in pain and in a daze; their mind was often left murky and raging. Which was why, without proper guidance from an experienced wolf, a young wolf would sometimes grow wild and he might even lose his humanity due to the pain.

Double that with the adrenaline rush of the Hunt. The final test for young werewolves, where they would be hunted by older full-fledged Wolf Warriors led by their Chief. They must survive the night without losing either their sanity or their lives. Aside from fighting the rage induced by the Beast Blood, they must also keep at bay the harsh element of the South Pole and relentless assaults of the more experienced werewolves of their Tribe. Now, you can understand why Water Tribe men are natural-born chauvinist.

_(Werewolves are often said to have multiple personalities; a calm regular human and a raging mindless beast when they transformed. There is some truth to this; it will be explained in more detail in the section 'the Afflicted'. Anyway, pureblooded werewolves are said to have full control on their psyche in their werewolf form. Another myth is that werewolves are foul-tempered in their human form. This is purely fictional to antagonize werewolves in general.)_

Gyatso's brow arched up at this. _Interesting_, he thought.

_(Some other persistent myths regarding werewolves talk about their weakness to silver and wolfsbane. Both are quite untrue. Werewolves are also said to always hunt alone.)_

The young wolves roared and snarled as they circle of bigger older wolves crept closer; Hakoda noticed that that was one missing quite too late.

Sokka jumped from inside a snow mound and tackled him from behind, pinning him down to the ground, allowing the four young wolves to run past them as the other Wolf Warriors were left perplexed by the sneak attack. Sokka, smaller and nimbler, leaped and raced after his companions as the other Wolf Warriors pounced at him only to collide onto each other and fell on top of Hakoda.

Tens of feet away, the icy blue eyes of the young wolf turned around and its snout formed a canine grin at the Wolf Warriors who were still disentangling themselves from each other.

_(Sometimes, this is true.)_

Sokka led the group away; the crack of dawn shed the first ray of sunshine on the blue and white ice field. A distant howl graced their ears and they stopped and howled along.

They passed the test.

Sokka snorted; vapor burst from his snout. They raced back to their village for a hard-earned celebration.

-B-L-O-O-D-

_VI. The Afflicted_

_The Afflicted is the term that refers to non-native vampires or werewolves; vampires who are not Fire Nation or werewolves who are not Water Tribe. The Afflicted are often resulted from the victim surviving a vampire or werewolf attack but in the process became contaminated by their blood. The victim would then be turned. However, lack of the natural Element makes them a lesser creature._

_Afflicted vampires lacked the life of Fire Element, making them a little more than mindless bloodsucking monster. Fire represents Life; without Fire Element, Afflicted vampire displayed weakened blood digestive system, severely limiting their ability to retain blood in the system for long. This result in their almost constant craving for blood. Sometimes, complication occurs. There has been numerous reports about Afflicted vampires being stuck in their fanged form or not being able to assume fanged form at all, hence making feeding difficult. So far, no one could offer a conclusive explanation for these phenomena._

_Afflicted werewolves are known to be smaller and weaker than pureblooded werewolves._

-B-L-O-O-D-

_(Also, unlike pureblooded who can assume their beast form at will, the Afflicted has no such ability and will transform involuntarily during full moon.)_

Jet slowly opened his eyes; Smellerbee was looking down at him with concern and he could just about make the shape of Longshot's straw hat at the corner of his eyes.

"Jet, you're awake!" the shaggy-haired girl exclaimed.

"Urgh… what happened?" Jet asked as he sat up; sharp pain shot through his torso from his side... he was suddenly aware that he wore only a pair of baggy pants and bandages tied across his stomach. "Oh, no…" he turned pale and queasy as realization stuck him. "Did I hurt anyone?"

Smellerbee hesitated as she exchanged a look with Longshot who remained impassive.

_(Afflicted werewolf, due to the lack of cooling and calming Water Element, often succumbed to the rage of their Beast Blood and the pain the transformation caused. Many Afflicted reported amnesia and unable to recall any memory from the time after the transformation, therefore suggesting the double-personalities myth.)_

"We lost you in the city", Smellerbee said instead. "There was this hunter group patrolling the city; apparently, there's another werewolf loose in the city and they thought it was you. They stopped you and brought us here."

Jet looked around the room; a simple room with lines of bed and white walls. A clinic.

The brown-haired boy slumped back to the bed, feeling drained. "That's alright, Bee", he said, putting an arm across his eyes. "Tianshui… we're one step closer to our revenge."

-B-L-O-O-D-

_(VII. Suggestion_

_While the study of vampirism and lycanthropy is quite extensive at this point, with the emergence of the Colonies and the proposal of the creation of the fifth Nation that comprises of the Western Shore Colonies where people of any races can coexist, one must consider the study of vampirism and lycanthropy on people of mixed ancestry.)_

The young man of eighteen flexed his fingers, tugging his fingerless glove; the tightening sound of tough leather was music to his ears. He rammed his fist to his palm, ready for the battle ahead. Short spiky black hair ruffled in the autumn breeze of twilight as the amber eyes under those thick brows scanned the city below the bell tower. The street had emptied considerably since the vampire attacks started last week. People were beginning to fear the dark.

The man sniffed the air, taking in the usual scent of motor exhaust and the average smell of the city. His bright amber eyes scanned the surrounding once more, noticing nothing unusual among the roofs and the streets.

He felt a chill and instantly he dropped from the twenty storeys height; a large boulder smashed the spot where he was perching. The desecration of the landmark tugged his chest a little; he was always fond of the bell tower. His long red scarf and high collar of his light gray trench coat flipped wildly, the latter ticking his jaw. Adrenaline rushed through his system and moments before he splatted on the ground below, jets of fire shot from his limbs, suspending his speed of falling as he landed safely on the ground.

The moment his feet touched the ground, a figure tackled him by the midsection; the man barely had the time to plant his footing firmly enough and held the ragged attacker on his charge. The thin mangy assailant pushed him still, growling weirdly as his sound resembled a wild animal's. The amber-eyed firebender staked his elbow on the figure's spine, sending him crashing to the ground.

An animalistic roar thundered from behind him; he turned and shot a fistful of fire on the leaping vampire's chest, sending the creature backward with a smoky and burnt front. The man instinctively swept his legs and a flaming arc travelled from his foot to a group of three bloodsuckers, charging from behind him, sending them tumbling down to the ground.

An arrow flew through the air and hit the man in the chest before he could even regain his footing. He was thrown to the ground hard, grunting in pain. The man snapped the arrow shaft and rolled to his front. He was about to push himself up when a pair of ragged boots fell upon the ground in front of him. The amber eyes looked up, tracing the dirty trousers and shirt, through the lean chest and thin arms, to the dirt covered face of the all fanged-out pale-skinned vampire. Gray-haired and bearded was the vampire, with a pair of missing front teeth and a pair of smudge that were his moustache above the corners of his mouth, gray like his shaggy hair and thick sideburn.

"To make me go out when the sun is still out", the vampire said coolly, his fangs impaired his speech not. "You are one troublesome hunter. You know I'm not good with the sunlight", the black eyes of the street Earth Kingdom vampire crinkled as a sadistic grin gave way to his tongue licking his lips. "I think I'm hungry."

The firebender felt himself being hoisted up by the arms roughly by two pair of male hands. He looked ahead and from his peripheral vision noticed three other standing around them. Six in total. The leader vampire was too preoccupied with the bloodstain on the arrow wound to notice that the firebender showed no signs of fear whatsoever.

A boulder came flying and knocked him to the side of the road, however, was not that easy to miss. Long ice spikes rained down on the remaining vampires, staking them in the most gruesome ways possible. They struggled to get free, to pull the slippery icy spears as the firebender coated his whole arms in fire to release himself from his captors. The two vampires suffered a sweeping roundhouse kick and the firebender noticed that there were two other vampires standing behind him, one of them was carrying a bow.

A flash of silver following the woman of long wavy black hair and gray and deep-red garb made a quick work out of them. The woman relaxed as she slashed her katana downward, splashing blood on the asphalt. She turned to the firebender and her vermillion-red lips curled into a smile.

"Hey, bro!" a large green-eyed earthbender approached them with the leader vampire held in a headlock; the ice-spiked vampires were lying dead on the ground, bleeding out and some were already started drying out. "Are you okay? You look… bloody."

The firebender looked down on his chest and pulled the arrow out; his wound promptly closed up, leaving unharmed skin under the smear of blood.

"Where's Korra?" the firebender asked instead, hearing the crisp metallic sound he knew was the girl behind him sheathing her katana.

"Right heeeerre!" a female in blue exclaimed as she jumped into the picture, riding an arc of ice. "Woohoo!" the waterbender landed in the middle as stood straight, tall and well-muscled was she under her sleeveless blue Water Tribe garb and baggy trousers. Blue eyes bright as she smiled, flipping her ponytail off her face. "Do we get him?"

"Right here", the earthbender shoved the vampire to the waterbender girl who caught him by the neck.

"Right", Korra, the waterbender, lowered her tone threateningly as she stared into the fearful green under the ridge of the vampire's face. "Gommu the Vagabond. So, here's how we going to this. Bolin, restraint, please."

Bolin the earthbender stomped the ground and jabbed upward; a cone of earth shot up around the captured bloodsucker and trapped him from the bottom up, leaving only his shaggy-haired head free.

"Now that we're comfy", Korra crossed her arms on her chest, grinning triumphantly. "You're going to tell me where the rest of the Vagabond Vamps Triad are, or my friend Asami here…" Korra titled her head towards the fairer-skinned girl who pulled her sword a little, smirking. "… is going to chop your head off. There is a reason why we leave your head sticking out, you know."

The vampire gulped but resumed his defiance. "I'm telling you nothing!"

"Asami, if you would—"

"Okay! Okay!" he shouted, cringing deeply; a bit anticlimactic but well…"You got me! I'll tell you everything you want to know! Just keep that lady away from me!"

The vampire squealed very unmanly at Asami taking a step forward just for fun. The firebender put a hand on the girl's shoulder and shaking his head; he was never the one to bring his sense of humor when they're on the job.

"Alright", Korra exclaimed. "Well, answer now."

The vampire, panting heavily, reverted his face back to his human form; a fifty-five years old man who, in Korra's opinion looked just as ugly. His black eyes trailed to the firebender of the group and finally noticed his peculiar healing ability. "_What_ are you?"

Mako's face was stone. "Something that isn't quite you."

-B-L-O-O-D-

_(VIII. Conclusion)_

"I really don't see the problem", Gyatso presented his case in front of the full Council; five Elder Monks sitting on the weathered stone dais under brightly colored parasols. Tashi, standing by his side, whipped his head to his direction furiously.

_(Vampires and werewolves are considered among the worst of the Unnatural.)_

"Aang certainly shows great knowledge in the area", Gyatso spoke quickly before Tashi could interrupt him. "He is advancing faster than any acolytes in airbending."

_(It is mostly due to the fact that part of them is human. Most of them were even human once.)_

"He is wise, smart, and talented."

_(Some were born into the clan and pack but it was not something they chose for themselves.)_

"And, with no doubt in my heart, I know that he is ready", Gyatso concluded.

The Head Monk, the unibrowed Monk Pasang closed his eyes and pondered upon Gyatso words while the rest of the Council murmured among themselves. Monk Pasang opened his stormy gray eyes and a slow gentle breeze burst from his being, silencing the courtyard.

"Gyatso", he began. "We seek in our Air Monks something beyond skills and wisdom. The Element of Air is about true freedom. Aang is doubtlessly a talented acolyte. But, he is also young. Can you, as his mentor, vouch for him, for his personal understanding in the Air Element?"

Gyatso, against Pasang's expectation, beamed up proudly.

_(However, we must keep in mind…)_

"Yes", the Senior Monk began. _(…the humanity in them, the humanity you and I shared.)_ "Yes, I can."

-B-L-O-O-D-

"And, now…" Monk Pasang proclaimed, handing the tattooing needle with a thickened engraved handle to a young Air Monk. "…rise..."

Aang, no longer an acolyte, in only his ceremonial loincloth, kneeling in front of Monk Pasang in the crowded Main Hall, looked up with a blue arrowed air tattoo on his skin. A pair of young Air Monks approached and clothed him in a simple Air Monk garb; a shirt and trousers of yellow, a shoulder garment and a sash of orange, and a pair of brown cotton boots. He took his glider and received his prayer beads.

"Air Monk Aang", Pasang declared to the whole temple.

Among the crowded, Gyatso sighed despite his pride, thinking back to the paper. "Now, if only he remembered to put in the reference", he muttered under his breath, receiving a cheery wave from his now-former-pupil.


	3. Chapter 3 - Return

**Chapter 3 – Return**

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Merchant Li Zu was just about to close down his store when a cold and strong autumn wind blew his way, sending dust into his eyes and a single nightshade blossom to his chest. He caught it and realized that he was not aware that there was a nightshade bush nearby. Shivering from the appetizers of cold winter this Fire Nation autumn breeze advertised, Merchant Li Zu hastened his work.

His humble store below his small two-storey house he secured with planks aligned on a pair of long notches at the floor and ceiling right in front of his front door, providing better protection against the element and thieves. He fixed the planks, stopping briefly to greet Blacksmith Bai Zu, his brother who lived next door. Reminding his elder brother about a medicine he had to take to treat his lingering wet cold, Merchant Li Zu fixed in the last of the planks. The whistling of the wind died down suddenly.

Sighing, he stepped in and closed his front door. It was barely nightfall in the City of North Chu-Ling, better known as the Fire Fountain City due to its iconic gigantic firebending statue of Fire Lord Azulon, but Merchant Li Zu thought that no one should want to buy his merchandise at this hour.

He smiled contentedly as he closed his front door and locked his store. He walked back inside through bolts and folds of silk, satin, cotton, and brocade, to his counter where he picked up his ledger, and inside to the small comfortable kitchen on the first floor of his house.

Merchant Li Zu snapped a small flame on his finger and lit a candle on a circular dining table to provide better lighting since he had closed all windows earlier. He made himself a pot of warm oolong tea, the best kind for autumn, as he had always said. Sitting down with his tea, he studied his ledger, stroking his thin well-groomed moustache.

He made quite a profit that week; the Colonies were buying in bulk since the autumn that year was harsh on them and they feared what winter might bring. Cotton and wool were high-sellers. He closed his ledger, thinking of ways he could get in on the next trade again. He remembered a newspaper article he had read that morning about the Colonies pushing the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom to grant them autonomy and count them out of the War. It would be bloody, Merchant Li Zu predicted.

But, it would be profitable. Fire Nation would want to send more soldiers to the front to either man their defenses during winter or to subjugate the rebellious Colonies. Either way, silk, brocade, and cotton would be in demand to make soldiers' and officers' clothes and uniform.

Merchant Li Zu sighed deeply. Not really how he would want to make his profit but he would take all he could get. It was an honest living, he would often said, and there is something in this honest life. He had told his sons that repeatedly. Now all grown and living their own lives, his three sons had become merchants of their own rights. His wife had passed before him years ago and now the old weary him lived alone.

He did not realize he was looking at the nightshade he had found earlier. Soft purple under the orange of the candle light looked particularly gentle. A draft of wind flew in from Agni-knows-where and blew the candle out. Merchant Li Zu put down his cup and conjured up a small fire on his palm.

Shadow at the corner of the room he was in materialized into a man; a dagger of black ivory handle and ornately engraved blade, with flames that ran along the two sides just behind the cutting edge, framing the fuller that traced to the tip like a pillar. Orange light danced along the silvery blade, showing of the keenness of the edge.

Armored the man was under his robe. Plates of lightweight rattan laminar with black ironpine resin embossed on hard leather formed the breastplate and single pauldron on his left shoulder, a single spaulder of lamellar plates on his left upper arm, and belt fitted with holsters for throwing knives both hidden and visible. Vambraces of identical plating to his armor, with fingerless gloves on the right hand and full one on the left cast no reflected light as the man's hand moved to the blade to hide the gleam.

Merchant Li Zu relit the candle, thinking of how ungrateful the colonials were. Demanding autonomy to form a fifth nation? Unheard of! The reign of Fire Lord Azulon had been going on for close to five thousand years and the ancient Fire Lord had brought prosperity. Merchant Li Zu was in the middle of predicting how bad it would be should the Colonies entered the War as a third power when his head dropped to the table with his throat slit open and thick red blood pooling on the table, staining his ledger, teacup, and nightshade flower.

Had he known that it would be the last of his thought, he would have chosen a more peaceful one. Of his departed wife, maybe. Or his sons. Or his store.

But, no matter, he thought as he welcomed the dark embrace of Death. It could have been worse.

The soft purple of the nightshade looked particularly gentle still despite the dark stain of blood on the petals.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Mako leaned back on his seat, looking up to the midday sun above. He ignored the waiter coming to his table on the sidewalk café outside Flamey Sid's Coffee and Tea Shop. He closed his eyes and fleshy red on the inside of his eyelids lit up under the bright sunlight. The weather had cooled down lately though the sky was still bright. It would not be long before the blue would turn cloudy and gray as winter approached.

He felt a pair of cold hand covering his eyes, a smile graced his face as a reply.

"Who is it?" a female voice asked playfully.

"Uh… Mei Ling?" Mako joked, earning a slap on his chest.

Asami landed a peck on the firebender's forehead and sat on the seat next to him, claiming his untouched cup of tea immediately.

"How'd it go with Tenzin?" Mako asked, hailing a waiter to their table.

"He's going to the Western Air Temple in an hour to get permission from the Head Abbess", Asami sipped her tea calmly. "He might even try to get some reinforcement from the Air Nomads."

"Why is he still requesting permission for our extermination?" Mako muttered gruffly as the waiter came with a second cup of tea. "I thought Tenzin is excommunicated."

"That's just a rumor", Asami waved it off lightly, leaning back on her chair and crossing her legs. "One that Tenzin apparently takes advantage of. That makes the Unnatural underestimate him. They think that he won't get any backing from the Air Nomads."

"I bet Chief Bei Fong's not so happy about it", Mako commented severely. "It's like he's drawing vampires to us."

Asami reached to his hand and smiled kindly; her stare was rather stern though. "It's not Tenzin's fault, you know?"

Mako scowled and looked away.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Can't sleep, Zuzu?" Azula asked without turning back. The Princess was standing tall on top of the airship tallest platform, enjoying some night air. Her twin bang flipped around her face wildly but her top-knot stood its ground.

Zuko approached and stood beside her, leaning on the railing like a peasant; Azula herself stood with regal posture like a warrior princess she was. Azula did not know why this bothered her so much.

"You're up late", Zuko commented back, his untied hair waved wildly on his head like flaming fire.

"I can't sleep", Azula shrugged and then her face fell. "Ty Lee kept hugging me."

"Don't you have your own bed?" Zuko frowned at his sister.

Azula shivered. "Don't ask."

_-In the girls' bedroom-_

In the large bed of Princess Azula's…

"Zzzzz… Azulaaaaa…"

Breath hitched in Mai's throat as her lady parts were, once again, violated by the acrobat's gropey hands. Removing the other girl's hand of her breasts, Mai edged away to the far side of the bed. Finally, she knew why, despite Azula's inborn inclination towards proper decorum and division of castes and classes, the Princess let her and Ty Lee sleep in her bed. Mai had to admit there were times she fooled herself thinking that it was purely a sign of Azula's appreciation of their friendship. Now, she suspected that there was more to it than just that. Azula was not the kind of person who did something that did not benefit her in some way. Mai was, in this case, a meat shield against Ty Lee's gropey hands. After all, Mai was taller and more… endowed; she would make a better target than the Princess' petite form.

The gloomy vampiress let out another gasp as a pair of strong slender arms snaked their way around her torso and, as they secured a tight grip, began exploring her well-curved and –endowed body.

She thought of Zuko all night long.

_-Back to the top of the airship-_

"Let's just say that Ty Lee is…" Azula cleared her throat uncomfortably. "…experimenting… with her sexuality", she winced and added under her breath. "For the good part of this decade."

"And… you left her in the same room as my girlfriend?" Zuko wanted to be sure.

Azula shrugged lightly. "Ty Lee's just excited she's finally grown", she said nonchalantly.

Born vampires, or pureblooded, grow in a peculiar pace. There is no set pace in which they grow physically. Their Uncle Iroh was only five years older than their father Ozai but the former had the physique of a sixty something old man who looked old enough to be the latter's father; Ozai looked like a man in his prime forties. Their mother Ursa was only a century younger than their father but she still retained a youthful look of a woman who's knocking on thirty but not yet there.

Azula and Zuko were two full centuries apart but they looked like an average brother and sister with mere two years between them. When Azula was born, Zuko was already two hundred years old but he still looked like a chubby five years old. Their cousin Lu Ten, only five years older than Zuko, was already breaking out at the time baby Azula came into their lives.

Azula and Mai had started to assume the physiques of young teenagers' last century while Ty Lee sort of lagged behind. It wasn't until last decade when she finally had her growth spurt and started to look more like the other two girls' peer and less like their younger sister.

Nobody knows why pureblooded vampires physically age this way. Some theorized about something they call physical peak, a physical form where a vampire's Life Blood power is supposedly at the most powerful, a form that enable a vampire to harness their power more easily. Some say it is part of their curse. No pureblooded vampires pay attention to them, of course. Most pureblooded vampires are nobilities, surrounded by security and stability the wealth and status their families provided. It mattered little what kind of bodies they had.

"Relax", Azula waved Zuko's concern off uncaringly. "They'll be fine."

Zuko did not reply. The ensuing silence between them was awkward, to say the least. Zuko and Azula were not really… well, they were unique siblings, even for vampires. Vampires live long; deep bond could grow so close or bitter between siblings. Zuko and Azula were simply awkward and frosty.

Zuko was an epitome of hard work and perseverance. He was born with a wealth of talent and potential in the fields he was expected to excel at as a Fire Prince. But, being to a family of talented and born-geniuses, his talent did not seem like much. He had to struggle with everything to get where he was now and even now he still amounted to little in his demanding father and grandfather's eyes.

Azula, on the other hand, lived up to their family's name and expectation. She was a prodigy; the best in firebending, academic studies, and Ancient magic. Everything came easy for her. She was doted on by their father, to the point of being overprotected and spoilt, and hence Azula found the idea of struggling to get what she wanted foreign and strange.

Zuko thought of Azula as a cold condescending individual; Azula believed Zuko was simply weird and foolish.

They got along just fine but they were not close. Or maybe they were and they just had their own weird way of showing it. Zuko knew of Azula's penchant for offending the wrong sort of people, the wrong sort of _powerful_ people, and had been shielding her for centuries; Azula knew of the affection Zuko and Mai shared for one another and, despite the amusement of watching them trying to figure things out like rats running around in an endless labyrinth box, she set them up and made sure they stayed together by scaring off potential suitors seeking approval from both Mai and Zuko.

Just two months before, for example, when Azula had, in the process of defending her father's decision to send more soldiers to the colonies, insulted the intelligence, and for good measure, personal hygiene of the head of the House of Zang, a writ of assassination was issued on her and the Blue Spirit ravaged the headquarters of the Zang Hei Sect, a personal assassin guild of the House of Zang. Also, when the young master of the Reen Family came up with a rather incriminating but fake evidence that would tipped Mai's favor towards him, Azula had personally visited the clan, somehow baited the young man into saying something rude about Fire Lord Azulon, and challenged him to an Agni Kai in which Azula pretty much destroyed him and his family standing in the Royal Court.

Azula finally turned around and leaned back on the railing, mimicking her brother. She looked up to the sky above and she could not wait to get home. She liked her duties well enough; she had spent the first millennium of her life being confined to the Royal Palace by her overprotective father and the only chance she got to get out was during their annual summer vacation to the Ember Island, which they did not do so much anymore, and even then she would not be left alone or given much freedom or space. She was the first female born to their family in quite a long while she suspected that they did not know what to do with her.

"Dad sent a hawk", Zuko said suddenly, arms crossed.

"Yeah", Azula asked with piqued interest. "What is it about?"

"He won't be welcoming us home", Zuko replied gruffly. He did not need to turn back to know that Azula's face had fallen. The girl adored her father.

Azula turned back around if only to ease the pang she felt in her chest. She leaned on her arms and Zuko somehow felt like he had to _try_ to comfort her. He might not like it but he was still her big brother. "Mom will be there, though."

Azula simply snorted and Zuko felt irked.

Before he could say anything else, Azula climbed up the railing and jumped over it, freefalling through the empty sky. Zuko did not even flinch; the Azula he knew would never commit suicide or something. She was a creature of comfort. Zuko was still unfazed when a female Royal Vampire flapped her leathery wings and flew along the airship, framed by the bright waning gibbous moon.

-B-L-O-O-D-

A single arrow with brownish red fletching sang through the air; a guard was pinned down by his sleeve to the wooden wall in front of him. Before he could regain his composure, a flash of light that followed a blunt blow on his head brought him to the state of unconsciousness.

The last thing he saw was a male youth with shaggy brown hair and a blade of grass in his mouth. The last thought he had was _'who the hell would attack a clinic?'_

-B-L-O-O-D-

Tyro strugglingly straightened his torso. The bandage around his midsection and chest felt tight under his light garb. Not that he was complaining. King Nara of Tianshui was generous, probably because the venerable king still had use of him and his hunting party. They had nabbed the wrong werewolf.

Haru entered the clinic room without as much as knocking with Toph in tow. Haru's bare feet made no sound on the earthen floor while the rim of Toph's metal gaiter clanked with the ground softly.

"Dad", Haru called, bowing. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, son", the old man grunted as he stood up; he did not wobble and his footing was surer than he had anticipated. "How are the men?"

"They've mostly recovered", Haru replied as they sat at a small round table; Toph promptly cranked her chair back with her feet on top of the table pointing at Haru's direction.

Tyro nodded and turned to the youngest earthbender; he smiled even though he knew Toph would not see it. "And how are you doing, Toph?" he asked kindly. The last time he saw her in the fight, the werewolf was on top of her, ready to devour her.

Toph blew her bang and scowled, crossing her arms. "I'm fine", she muttered, ignoring the cup of tea Tyro poured her. She instead pulled out a rolled up scroll tugged on her sash and handed it to the old man.

To answer Tyro's raised brow, Haru said desperately. "She doesn't believe me."

Snickering, Tyro unfurled the scroll and read it through. "Hmm… as usual, your parents are demanding your return."

"I know that much", Toph shrugged uncaringly. "It's the next part that I'm unsure about."

"The part about them sending bounty hunters on you?" Tyro asked casually. "Toph", he began with a mellowed fatherly tone.

Toph halted him with a hand. "I'm not going home", she decided bluntly. "And bounty hunters? Really? Hah! I'd like to see them try!"

Tyro felt like he should do or say something. Before he could though, his door was burst open by a member of their party. The man was sweating river and heaving. "They escaped!"

Haru and Tyro stiffened up; Toph snorted. "Told you we should've killed him."

-B-L-O-O-D-

"That's going to bruise", Mai commented dryly at the feral vampire Azula had just clobbered.

"I know she's my little sister and all", Zuko sighed. "But, I swear, sometimes she's just a little—", whatever obscenity that escaped the Prince's lips was drowned by the scream another vampire let out as he was engulfed by a flame of bright blue hue.

"Ah…" Azula sighed contentedly as she watched Ty Lee pounced at the last of the vampire and blocked his chi with her lightning fast jabs. "I feel better", she turned to Zuko and Mai who had not involved themselves in the already unfair fight of Azula and Ty Lee versus a pack of wild vampires; a Fire Princess and a master chi-blocker of the Ty Family versus a bunch of thin-blooded bandits-turned-vampires. "Oh, lighten up, Brother!" she exasperated under Zuko's withering stare. "This is still early in the morning. The sun's shining, the air's fresh. The best time for exercise."

Zuko clenched his jaw tightly. When he woke up that morning, he found out (too late) that Azula had pretty much commandeered the airship; the right belonged solely to him as the firstborn but the crew did not know any better. Apparently, his little sister had decided to take a more scenic route and had stopped at Shen Ji Island, one of the middle islands knows for its active Tratakoa Volcano, its lust ash banana grove, and its reputation as a place of banishment for feral vampires. In some of the more modern maps, it had been renamed Exile Island.

The Island attracted the worst of the worst. Vampires that had relinquished their humanities altogether and surrendered to their blood thirst. They had become little more than animals and sadly they numbered in many. They wore their fanged form with pride and preyed upon the innocents without restraint.

While Fire Nation human denizens knew of the vampires, they had a rather neutral perspective of them. Fire Nation Royal Family had embraced vampirism since the very beginning and vampirism was considered a sign of nobility. The vampires treated their human counterpart with respect, as their Law proposed, and were forbidden to feed or to turn them without consent or permission from the government. They actually had paperwork for this.

Loyal military officers and nobles were often rewarded with the gift of vampirism and the immortality it carried. Vampirism had become a symbol of prestige. Vampires and humans had even started intermarrying since time immemorial; a fact that the other three Nations would skeptically dismissed as an act of vampires taking advantage of human weakness by using guile, coercion, or magic. Vampirism is, however, a recessive trait; the offspring of a human and a vampire parents would always be full untainted human.

Very rarely did these 'natural' vampires succumb to their thirst. The Afflicted and the thin-blooded -Fire Nation humans who were turned, often forcibly or accidentally-, however, were different. To conquer their thirst, vampires trained their mind with discipline, usually guided by their parents or sires. The Afflicted and thin-blooded rarely had such guidance. They only knew that they must feed to survive, as dictated by their instinct.

Fire Lord Sozin had been unforgiving in his crusade against the bestial nature of their kind. He had formed in his time the Blood Guard; elite firebending soldiers, the precursor of the Royal Procession, whose sole duty is to patrol their soil and get rid of the unwanted thin-blooded. Fire Lord Azulon then took charge and formed the less humane but more strategically advantageous protocol. He would round up the thin-blooded and set them loose in the warfront or in hostile Earth Kingdom cities, effectively using them as weapons. It was said that Fire Lord Azulon's method was responsible for the creation of the Afflicted.

Fire Prince Iroh, a more humane vampire than his legendary father, had relentlessly fought against the protocol and had persuaded his father to abolish such practice. Furthermore, the Prince had also established numerous rehabilitation centers where the thin-blooded might receive help and training. Iroh had also been the one responsible for the creation of the Exile Island, a place where the most dangerous thin-blooded who were beyond help could be confined. It sure beat outright execution.

The Tratakoa was a large and active volcano that would wipe the population of the island from time to time and the Exile Island also serve as some sort of a deterrent for criminals. Fire Prince Ozai had recently passed a law that sanctioned the Island as an exile place where high-profile criminals would be sent to die. Humans and vampires alike feared the place; the thin-blooded were not beyond cannibalizing their own kind.

The Royal Procession sent their new recruits on an eight-day intensive survival camp as a part of their initiation test. Prince Lu Ten often wandered here when he felt like killing something. Azula and Zuko sometimes tagged along and were familiar with the Island as the result. It is pretty simply, said Lu Ten once. Just step forward and burn anything that comes at you.

Zuko and Mai were sitting on a beach blanket that, until a couple hours ago, before Mai laid eyes on it, had been a curtain on Zuko's window. Azula smirked and Ty Lee whooped as more vampires emerged from the darkness of the woods ahead of them. They moved sluggishly as they sniffed the air, tasting the smell of the two girls who were the nearest to them, and Zuko and Mai and about a dozen Royal Procession who had been ordered to stand in the sideline under the threat of death by their Princess.

The thin-blooded had the mannerism that was more animal than human, further emboldened by their pasty pale skin and yellowed and chipped fanged teeth. Their heads snapped to the direction of the waiting Azula and Ty Lee and they snarled, fanged faced showing off their sharp and yellowed incisors.

Ty Lee winced at the sight and Azula shot a lightning bolt at the nearest target's face. It took awhile for the thin-blooded's deteriorating wit to notice that the first blow had been thrown. Once they did, they raced towards the two girls. Some, much to Zuko's disgust, leaped at Azula and Ty Lee's earlier victims and started biting on their flesh and sucking at their remaining blood until the carcasses dried up and turned to a lump of dust.

"Why are we here again?" Mai sighed deeply.

"Because Azula's bored and upset", Zuko replied just as dryly; after almost three centuries of romance, he knew that Mai would always be a mystery to him although he had deciphered some of her mystery. He knew that Mai knew the sight of cannibalistic hematophagia disturb him.

"You're her brother."

And sometimes, she could be infuriating.

"So?"

"So, do something. Make her stop."

Zuko let out what might have been a growl as he got up and stretched his back. He moved to the battle scene where his little sister and her little friend were bullying a horde of thin-limbed and emaciated-looking feral vampires. The Fire Prince shot a flame blast powerful enough to incinerate a vampire Ty Lee was holding out by the collar, making Azula's fire blast that was aimed at it hit nothing but an already dead burning corpse.

"Hey! I was about to get that one!" Azula protested loudly; Ty Lee yelped and let go of the burning corpse that was rapidly turning into dust.

"Stop fooling around!" Zuko snapped back. "Get in the airship and let's get out of here!"

Azula harrumphed. "No", she said flatly with crossed arms.

Zuko bit back his response and, with narrowed eyes, went back to Mai. "I tried", he reported.

"I'm worried about you sometimes", Mai said as she pushed Zuko aside with her foot so she could get a full view of Azula using Ancient magic to create a force field dome that trapped about six feral vampires before she shot lightning at them one by one.

By the time Azula, whipping her signature blue flame, was chasing around a screaming vampire that scampered around on four like some kind of rabid simian, Zuko voiced his concern: "She's gonna have a hard time finding a husband, isn't she?"

-B-L-O-O-D-

"In all honesty", the man began. "I don't think we should be letting him walk around freely, even if he is a kid."

In response to the amber-eyed man, the larger tan-skinned and emerald-eyed bearded man delivered a stern stare.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right", the slim paler-skinned man sighed, stroking his bow. Hidden inside the thick foliage of the old tree, they looked down on the three teenagers. Jet led Smellerbee and Longshot through the forest, heading west.

-B-L-O-O-D-

The Royal Procession set up a camp on the shore. Their currently-rowdy Princess had decided to venture deeper into the woods with her bubbly acrobat friend. Despite her warning, they had sent a dozen of their most experienced and, more importantly, stealthy members into the forest to keep an eye on the Princess and her friend. Prince Zuko and the other girl, the gloomy one, had retreated back to the airship a while ago and had not come out ever since.

They were preparing to roast a pheasant-flamingo for the royals and the nobles, the airship cook was in the middle of sharpening her knife. Despite popular belief, vampires eat. At least, the civilized ones. Some of the Afflicted and all of the thin-blooded survive solely on blood; they felt hunger like any other vampire but their thirst drown it out.

Fire Nation vampires trained themselves since they were young to rely on calories like normal people to do menial daily activities. They achieved such feat by indulging in intensive meditation and sometimes harsh and brutal physical conditioning. Only when they firebend or when they were in a fight-or-flight response did they instinctively let go of their inhibition and draw upon their Life Blood. It took years, even decades of practice but a state where they could retain their Life Blood almost indefinitely, making them seemingly able to survive without feeding, was possible. It was said that the last Fire Lord Azulon fed was when he was still a High General under his father Sozin.

This skill was taught to the populace and the Royal Family, with the duty to set an example, were expert of this particular art. Zuko and Azula were taught the exercises by their uncle as soon as they could walk and it had become a daily routine for them. The act of feeding, contrary to popular perception, was considered brutish and barbaric by the Fire Nation royals and nobility. They preferred to drink from a cup.

Fire Nation people sold their blood for this purpose; they thought that it was better than being involuntarily mugged by blood-craved vampire and sucked dry. Convicts on death row were often executed by 'draining'. Imprisoned criminals and prisoners of war were siphoned once a week. Fire Nation scientists had also succeeded in creating blood substitute but many complaint that it tasted like a copper piece dipped in mud so it had not caught on yet.

Fire Nation Royal University had proposed that with routine extensive meditative exercise, a vampire could lessen the loss of Life Blood during chi-draining activities and enhance their digestive system to extract and store energy from food, especially from simple sugar. This finding bolstered the enthusiasm for meditative exercises in the last few centuries.

A thunderbolt shot upright from the forest at the foot of the mountain; a flock of charcoal colored bird flew out to avoid certain death that seemed to follow at the wake of a cranky Princess Azula. Any Royal Procession worth his blood knew of the tribal camp that the thin-blooded had established for themselves. They held their daily rumble there where they fought and fed on each other.

The Royal Procession do not speak much. They are silent protectors, sentinels whose existence solely is to protect. They do not speak, they do not think, they simply do. Even so, they each silently agreed with Prince Zuko's earlier remark; it would appear that Princess Azula would have a hard time finding a husband.

Prince Zuko would appreciate the thought, jaw hardened as he watched the lightning bolt piercing to the sky above. He sighed inwardly. His great age had little to do with his temper; he might have lived longer than any human alive but he spent most of it in isolation and he was still in the body of a hormonal teenager. Azula had better control of her temper, he knew, and it was mostly due to the fact that she was better at meditation. It was almost like a second curse for vampires like him; to have to struggle so hard to reign in their emotional state. The fact that he could very well remain in this teenaged body for centuries to come, or even forever, made the matter a lot worse.

"Did you say something to her?" Mai spoke without a preamble or announcing her presence in Zuko's room; Zuko never knew his heart could pound this hard. "Did you do something?" Mai trailed off as she sat on the bedside.

"No", Zuko said gruffly. Mai stared at the Prince with those still and distant amber eyes of hers, scrutinizing his face. She then shrugged and draped herself in his arms.

It was not Mai's problem anyway. _Azula's a big girl_, she told herself.

Even if she and Ty Lee did came back screaming half an hour later as they ran away from a full tribe of feral thin-blooded at their tails. If poking a hornet nest is a gift, the Fire Princess was a godsend.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula crossed her arms, pouting under Zuko's stern stare sitting in the lower bunk bed. At the corner of the girls' room, Mai and Ty Lee were sitting on the large bed, pretending to be too busy with their Pai Sho game to notice the Princess being scolded by her older brother. It was quite an occurrence, once in a hundred years (literally), and Mai and Ty Lee were not about to miss it.

The last time this happened, Azula had (again, literally) used Zuko as a meat shield when they were hunting a rabid dragon that ravaged the countryside. Zuko was badly wounded and nearly used up all his Life Blood to heal his extensive burn and reattach his severed limb_s_ and almost dried up and fell into blood coma.

It was more a century ago, shortly after Ty Lee was finally allowed to join them.

And despite what people thought of her, Azula did have a heart. Shriveled, black, and pumping noxious sludge it might rumored to be, it was a bleeding and beating heart. Her father would rather her be evil and strong than weak and taken advantage of but her mother was a good influence. Like many girls, Azula idolized her father and her front was all Ozai taught her; intimidation, cunningness, wit, power, and superiority.

Even so, underneath all that, Ursa and her ways reigned supreme. Mai knew she was a big softie inside, often awkward and haughty rather than the cruel and heartless front the Princess preferred. Ty Lee knew that underneath the bright royal saffron of her aura, Azula was a soft pinkish red fluff; it was just too faint to stand up against the bright eye-blinding exterior. To Zuko, Azula was still a child inside.

"How should I know those savages have formed a village with structure and actual social construct?" Azula huffed, pouting in a way the three other in the room could only described as irresistibly cute. Ty Lee and Mai knew the Princess would hate being described as such; Zuko would rather cut his tongue off, reattach it, and cut it off again than to describe his little sister as such.

"You drew about fifty of them onto our ship", Zuko growled through his gritted teeth, and bandaged neck (a feral vampire bit him and vampire bite on other vampires heals slowly), as he braced through the guilt inducing pout of his little sister by focusing on the girl's top-knot rather than her slightly puffed cheeks. "Ten of our guards were injured and three almost died. What did Mom tell you about causing problem for the Royal Procession?!" _and me_, Zuko added mentally.

Azula mumbled something indistinct, fixing her glare at the buckler of his brother's armor; Zuko said sternly in reply. "What was that? Louder!"

"She said they are not toys and they can snap and left us stranded in a remote island somewhere if we push hard enough", Azula mumbled begrudgingly. Ty Lee snickered softly and Mai kicked her foot.

Zuko raised his brow, he only had one, the right one, sharply.

"If _I _push hard enough", Azula barked indignantly. "Happy?"

"For now", Zuko resigned coldly. "We'll need another night to get back home and no more detour, is that clear?"

Azula breathed out a loud 'humph' as she turned to the window.

"I've ordered the captain to ignore any directions from you", Zuko added. "So, don't even try."

With that, the Fire Prince left, rueful of the day his parents opted to have a second child instead of adopting a puppy.


	4. Chapter 4 - Conspiracy

**Chapter 4 – Conspiracy**

Disclaimer: no profit is being made.

* * *

His amber eyes pierced the dark; the captain thought when he entered the quarters the hooded assassin kept dark. Pitch black, with tendrils of moonlight drilling through the cracks of the wooden window and a tiny hole in the hull of his ship that, now that the captain thought about it, the moron Li Cao had not fix yet. He was so going to make the insolent fool sweep the deck for a month.

The captain placed the tray of food on the table; a bowl of rice -not gruel, like he and his crew had been feasting on since the beginning of the voyage-, fish soup, and a plate of stewed meat, the last bit of their supply. He had asked the cook to scrounge up a dish or two of fish for the rest of their voyage, which would end in a day, thanks be to Agni, and hoped the guest would not notice how exhausted their 'nice food' supply had become. His crews breaking in the storeroom and stealing some sausages and meat had been quite unfortunate.

The captain was about to turn around and exit the room, and escape the delicious waft of the meaty stew, when a glint of silver caught his gray eyes. The assassin lifted up the blade he was polishing up to an unnaturally intense pillar of moonlight. _'A beautiful dagger'_, the captain, a weapon aficionado, thought to himself, admiring the keenness of the edge and the flame engraving.

Or not, for the amber eyes turned to him while the blade stayed still.

The captain swallowed hard. Those eyes, like a pair of gold-topaz gem, almost glowed in the dark. They were impossible to read.

"It's a gift", the assassin's voice came out, almost unnaturally so for the pair of amber eyes stayed as still as the darkness they were contrasting.

"I see", the captain managed out, unable to keep a tinge of awe in his voice. The keenness of the blade and the ornate engraving of cloud-shaped flame on the blade were as mesmerizing as the voice of the assassin. Young… barely finished breaking, the captain thought, feeling a bit of sadness. A young man.

The captain did not know why he pulled out his jian from his waist and offered it to the assa— to the _boy_. A pair of fingerless-gloved hands came out and the captain gingerly dropped his sword on them. The eyes looked down and the captain could have sworn they crinkled briefly. Childishly. Like a child being presented a toy.

It made the captain felt a gush of sad in his chest, catching him in his throat. So young… and already the boy experienced so much. _Destroyed_ so much.

"Cang'e steel", the boy unexpectedly commented, with voice that instilled a chill now that the captain had got over his initial surprise. "The moon steel", the boy rephrased. "Northern Water Tribe. The steel is alloyed and the style is Fire Nation."

"Crafted by the famed Piandao of Shu Jing", the captain welcomed the gush of pride he always felt whenever he told the story of his most prized sword. "I saved up from almost five trips before I mustered up enough money to purchase the metal and commission the sword."

"Master Piandao _is_ expensive", the boy said, handing the jian back courteously, handle first.

"You speak as if you know him", the captain frowned a little, sheathing his sword back. A chill ran down his spine as he realized that he was acting too friendly with his guest, a stranger he knew as a dangerous assassin whose passage and comfort upon his ship had been requested by Fire Lord Azulon himself.

Before the assassin could utter a reply, or the captain to salvage the situation, the ship rocked wildly following the sound of a loud explosion and cracking of the wood. The captain raced up to the upper deck, hand ready on his blade handle. His crews were running up and down everywhere like ants assaulted by hot water. He was about to yell at them to gather their act together and to tell him what in the name of good-blessed-Agni was going on when a series of rapid close-together booms echoed from the starboard side, following flashes of orange flame.

A ship was firing upon them.

A volley of condensed fireballs arced through the air towards their direction like the heads of fire arrows, only bigger. Much bigger, the size of melons. The captain ran to the main mast and braced himself from the impact behind the little safety the thick pole of hard wood provided. Emerging from his refuge, he yelled. "Battle stations!"

The captain darted to the wheel on the upper deck as his officers took control and echoed his orders. This would not be the first scuffle for most of his crews and soon they were ready for it; firebending canons ready at both sides of the ship, on the three decks, swivel guns ready with their benders. His ship, _Stagbull_, was metal-plated but it was a merchant ship, not a warship; it was a _retired_ warship. It would not be able to withstand many shots like that.

Quickly, the captain turned the wheel and aimed the broadside canons to the incoming pirate ship, mechanized unlike the _Stagbull_ which was a sailing ship. He was caught up in the moment, his first naval battle in two years, that he did not realize the hooded boy had walked up on him.

"Turn around", the boy said, his robe fluttering in the windy night.

"FIRE!" the captain bellowed, ignoring the boy.

"I said turn around", the boy repeated; his voice dropped in temperature, making the captain shiver.

The captain turned to the boy with the intention to either tell him to stay in the cabin or to snap at him since _he_ was the captain of the ship and he knew what to do without a green boy ordering him around. The surprise of that time when he first heard the boy spoke returned. The hood was still on but it fluttered wildly in the wind, revealing his face.

The boy was handsome, almost pretty; he had the face of boys you do not want your daughters to associate with. The boy was young, no doubt, a teenager. Maybe sixteen or seventeen but already he stood with a gait that was distinct of the warrior class. He stood straight and tall but he was slender and built quite nicely. His eyes were bright amber and sharp, almost like the blade of the black-ivory-hilted dagger he was twirling expertly in one hand. His facial features were sharp and pleasing, but he looked oddly humorless at the sight of the approaching ship.

When the captain did not snap out of his gape, the boy stopped twirling his dagger and rammed his shoulder onto the captain, shoving him away. The boy took control of the wheel and slammed it to the side, diverting the direction towards the incoming ship.

_He was going to ram into it,_ the captain thought fearfully.

"Are you mad?!" sure, the _Stagbull_ still had the ram but it was a merchant ship! The idea of such direct combat maneuver seemed almost… _blasphemous_! Such is the mentality of Fire Nation, with their ingrained obedience towards propriety despite their culture being the most advanced in the front of feminism and other subjects their opposite Element, the Water Tribe, would not even speak about.

"Swivel guns! Attack!" the captain roared as the ships came within several dozens of yards apart. "Stop this!" he turned to the boy. "Turn the ship around so we can attack them with the broadside!"

"Too messy", the boys said right before he slammed the wheel and rammed the ship to the side of the pirate ship's bow. The resulting noise of the breaking metal and wood was crunchy and sickeningly so. As the captain regained his footing and was about to berate the boy some more, the boy took off and threw his robe at his face. The captain pulled it off and spluttered, barely in time to watch the assassin ran across the deck to the bow.

The _Stagbull_, downwind from the night wind, pushed the pirate ship back. Their crews were in disarray much like the captain's crews. He could do nothing but watch the boy in his light armor raced through the deck and his confused crews with nothing but a dagger at hand. He looked like a boy in costume more than a warrior in armor.

That was until he started firebending.

The boy bit the blade between his teeth and shot a burst of flame that propelled him up to the air from his limbs. He jumped onto the pirate ship and began slashing right and left, wielding his fire as proficiently as he did his blade. The captain took a moment to compose himself before he ordered his men to prepare to board the ship.

Assassin or not, a man could not clear up a pirate ship on his own.

The captain aligned the ship side-by-side and his crews threw hooks and ropes to secure the ships together. He led the jump himself, brandishing his moon steel sword as he stepped onto the deck and had his roar slowly died out.

The pirates were all subdued.

Safe for one, a thin old man who was cringing on the floor, hiding his head under his shielding arms, whimpering and shaking wildly as the boy approached. The assassin looked oddly small for someone with such large presence. Flames from the fight were small and cast little light on the scene but they had no problem seeing the boy mercilessly slammed his blade point first to the old man's skull.

The captain and his crew's silence was almost religious.

The boy pulled from his sash pocket something that they could not see clearly but by the way it fell, it was light and small.

The boy turned to the captain and his crew and smiled; the smile was strangely fitting on his face despite the circumstances.

"Well, captain", the boy said almost friendlily. "Shall we?"

The captain cranked his neck to the side as much as he could for his instinct compelled him to stayed his eyes on the boy. "Men, back to the _Stagbull_", he said, tried to yell all captain-like but he failed. "Set the course back to the Fire Nation Capital City."

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Finally, we're home!" Ty Lee squalled as she cartwheeled across the gangplank down the airship. Zuko, Mai, and Azula followed with more grace. The bubbly acrobat landed on her feet and nearly rammed into a tall graceful lady whose whole appearance sang out the rhyming words _nobility_ and _beauty_.

"Oops, sorry, Lady Ursa", Ty Lee, giggled nervously before she bowed politely.

The Lady smiled warmly at the girl and nodded briefly as a greeting since she could not part her eyes for too long from her two children. They arrived before her at last and bowed to her.

"My son", the Lady said lovingly as she scooped the boy gently into his arms. "I'm glad you make it back safely", turning to her daughter, she pulled the girl in an equally warm hug. "And you, Azula. Welcome home."

Azula's right eye twitched. Zuko and Ty Lee were oblivious; Mai was not but chose neutrality.

Ursa detached herself from the one-sided hug that she did not understand –she was hoping her daughter would hug back since they had not seen each other for almost a month- and spent few extra seconds rubbing the sides of the her daughter's face, pushing her bangs back to inspect more of her. Azula was not smiling.

"How are you, Azula?" she asked kindly.

"I'm fine", Azula replied icily, barely moving her lips.

"I see", Ursa slowly let go, stunned but she did not let it show much. Clearing her throat slightly, she readdressed the whole group. "Come, everyone. I have prepared a nice dinner for all of us."

More like a feast.

On the long table they sat, Ursa and her two children on one side and the two other girls on the other. The piece of furniture held more food than a village needs to hold a harvest festival. The head of the table and the first seats were empty and only the five of them were there.

"Where's Lu Ten?" Zuko asked, looking around as if his cousin would appear through the door.

"He's sleeping", Ursa informed them. "Fire Lord Azulon kept him busy lately", she picked a delectable piece of pig-hen and put it on Azula's bowl. "I couldn't bring myself to wake him up."

Azula exhaled slowly but Zuko and Mai noticed a discontent in her gesture. "He promised he'd welcome us home", the Princess said, biting into her pig-hen rather furiously.

"I'm sorry, dear", Ursa set down her utensils and rubbed her daughter on the back. "Maybe you can see him in the morning."

Azula offered her mother no response. _Stupid Mom_, she cursed in her mind.

She stayed mostly quiet the rest of the dinner. Even as dessert was served, she just sat in her seat with her bowl of cherries while Ty Lee chattily recounted their encounter with the treasure hunters in the ruins. And when Ty Lee sort of slipped and began telling the Lady about their short unauthorized incursion on the Exile Island, Azula still could not bring herself to bother.

Ursa tactfully kept the atmosphere neutral; Zuko's subtle apprehensive eye-darting between her and Azula while gripping his spoon was the main indicator, though.

"This is beautiful", Ursa commented at the fire ruby centerpiece of the amulet she was admiring. "Fire Lady Illah will be very pleased."

Turning to her daughter, trying not to feel like she was about to pacify a cranky puppy, Ursa said kindly. "And I'm proud of you, Azula", she smiled warmly. "Did you really trap fifteen thin-blooded with a single spell? That's amazing."

Azula stood up suddenly. "I'm off to bed", she bowed curtly at the Lady. "Goodnight, Mother."

She walked out of the dining room without a single word. The Princess strode through the hallway with an even and steady pace, her mind was racing with thoughts that were not at all good. She was hoping for the homecoming to be more… eventful. With her father welcoming her with open arms, with her cousin Lu Ten, also.

Azula did not even notice that she had concluded the fifteen-minute walk and suddenly she found herself in front of her door. She did not even realize that a couple of maids had escorted her along the way until one of them walked forwards and opened her door for her.

The Princess dismissed them and closed the door behind her, locking it; she knew her mother would want to come in later and she would rather not face her right now. She took off and dropped her armor lazily, trailing breastplate, spaulders, vambraces, brocade tasset, and various articles of clothing and armor on her way to her bathroom.

At least her bathtub was already filled with hot water, she thought as she discarded the last of her clothing and stepped into her bathtub. She undid her top-knot and submerged herself fully into the bathtub the size of a small pool. She took her time there, letting the comfort of the two opposing Elements washed away aches and sore from her muscles.

When she got out, already in her nightrobe and her hair tied in a ponytail, she ignored her armor and that had been stacked quite nicely on a small table where they should be and the fact that she was not alone. She simply ascended to her bed and got into her blanket, turning away from the window where pillars of moonlight shone through the flame-shaped transoms.

She grabbed one of her pillows and hugged it tight, hoping it was _him_ she was hugging. She gripped her blanket in her fist and wished instantly that it was _his_ hand in hers. Ursa lay down on the bed and embraced her daughter from behind and Azula wished it was _him_ who was holding her tight. And the young Princess wished that her mother would squeeze her a bit like _he_ always did, using it as a refugee from the blossoming fond feeling she was beginning to feel but had sworn to loathe regarding her mother's soft and warm embrace that always made her feel like she was being enveloped by a soft fluffy quilt made of cloud— no! o-of… um… weird… cotton candy that would make her feel sticky afterwards!

"Azula, what's wrong?" Ursa, ever the perceptive, asked kindly, reached out to grab the girl's hand. "Is something the matter?"

"I locked the door", Azula grumbled, trying not to like the warmth her mother's hand provided. "I left the key in the keyhole. How did you get in?"

"I have my ways", Azula could feel her mother's smirk at the back of her head, feeling her tender kiss at the back of her head before she rose up. Azula tried not to feel disappointed too much. "Get some rest, dear. You must be exhausted after the long journey", Ursa leaned down and kissed the girl softly on the cheek. "Goodnight."

Azula did not reply; the sound of her door slamming shut softly felt like a punch to the gut that left her cold. It never was simple when her mother was in the picture. Which was why she wanted _him_ right now. Her father and cousin missing their arrival was bad enough, she was hoping _he_ would be here.

He always came through.

And yet, Azula woke up alone the next morning, feeling stupid that she had wrapped herself in her blanket with a pillow on her back. She felt foolish, she felt like a high school girl with a crush. Getting up, she got ready for the day.

Fixing up her sash last, ignoring a pair of maids that were waiting for to dress her, feeling a bit irked since her mother had obviously left the door unlocked the previous night, Azula sat herself in front of her mirror and let the maids do her hair, brushing it gently, applying scented oil, fashioning the silky smooth raven flock into her usual top-knot.

It was barely sunrise and she snuck into the empty dining room of the Royal Female Quarters and had her breakfast alone. Simple bread and soup, it ended quickly before her mother could arrive; Azula felt lousy and she did not feel like she was up to deal with the Lady right now.

She returned to her room, sending her maids entourage away with her stare alone, and came back out bearing two swords: a long jian of about seventy centimeters of blade with sapphire blue enamel coating the wooden exterior and golden engravings of cloudy flame on the handle of the scabbard, the middle part, and the butt cap, and the hollow square hand guard and ingot shaped pommel, with the Fire Nation insignia on the middle of the hilt also of gold; the other sword was a bright red short sword of around fifty centimeters length in total, guardless handle with vines and leaves of gold coiling around the hilt to the pommel that was an engraved cap, and the scabbard to the base, that bore similar fashion to the pommel.

Azure and Scarlet, she called them.

Her father was a rather overprotective vampire with millennia of experience dealing with the War and numerous assassination attempts. In his great age, he had grown rather paranoid when it comes to child-rearing, further made worse by the fact that Iroh had almost lost his son to the War; so much so that the younger Fire Prince even prohibited his son from taking the duty of military service and forced the boy to take on the coat of Blood Flame instead, an order of elite group of talented vampires whose sole duty is to keep the homeland secure and to perform special duties on troubled areas of the land. So, basically they are some glorified homeland guards.

Zuko, and Azula, for that matter, took all they could get.

Azula, much like Zuko, had been forced to learn other form of martial arts. Fire Prince Ozai believed that they should have additional knowledge and skills that could serve them should, by some unlikely odd chance, their firebending failed them. Azula and Zuko had been trained by the famed Imperial Sword Instructor Jian Wu who later sent them to his student Piandao of Shu Jing.

They stayed for an extended time there and emerged as master dual swordsmen; Iroh often joked that it was one of the very rare occasions where the siblings' rivalry actually resulted in a good thing. Zuko went on to train his firebending further while secretly training himself in the art of stealth (though, Ozai and Iroh knew all about it and, unbeknownst to each other, had been keeping it secret from their parents and their traditionalist view regarding honor, and Ursa and her sometimes excessive motherly codling) while Azula dabbled in sorcery and archery, studying under the Fire Lady herself and Yu Yan the legendary archer as per her father's suggestion.

Still, swordplay was _their_ thing. Zuko and Azula's thing. The closest thing they had to a healthy brother-sister bond, according to Lu Ten.

Azula practiced alone that morning; Zuko was most definitely still sleeping. Well, more time for her to practice uninterrupted for their monthly sword duel. Azula danced almost gracefully with gleaming silver of her blades around her, though her mind wandered, as it often would when she was practicing her swordplay, to the swordmaster Piandao, a human who could fight on par with any vampires; a fact that cemented Zuko and Azula's interest in the art of swordplay. Rumor has it that Piandao would have been offered the gift of vampirism had he not been a deserter before.

Azula concluded her Lotus Blossom form with a flourish; one of the aspects of swordsmanship that she loved is the beauty of the art. She danced several other forms, going on feeling a little exhaustion from the exercise that could have brought any lesser men and women to their knees. When she finally decided that she had had enough, the sun had shone with more dignity on the dark blue sky, smearing the celestial canvas gold.

The Princess took a towel a maid was offering her, handing her swords to another; the ubiquity of the maids had stopped bothering her. In her mind, they were like furniture; all around and not worth her time thinking about how they got there. Receiving her swords back, she walked out of the training room back to her chamber, feeling slightly better.

In the corridor between the communal area and the Royal Female Quarters, she ran into him. He was in his Navy captain uniform, tanned-skinned and handsome he was with his top-knot tidy and well-kept, the very picture of a young nobility.

He sickened Azula.

Chan was never worthy of his vampirism. His father Admiral Chan, at some point of his life, was. There was never a rule but for a vampire who was bestowed the gift to change the members of their family was not something that the society would look kindly upon. Fire Nation are proud people; they believed that they must earn their due. Those privileged children of those who actually earned their vampirism were never popular among the pureblooded but they never seemed to care, acting all high and mighty all the same.

His grin sickened her more.

"Princess Azula", he bowed as Azula passed, setting her mood deeper down. "I bid you a good morning."

Azula inhaled sharply. "Do you now?" she scoffed and walked away without any other words. As expected, Chan paced after her with the audacity to walk beside her, not _behind_ her like the inferior he was. It was annoying.

And then, he started to speak, chattering away about his recent exploits, quelling pirates on the Mo Ce Sea. Small accomplishment in Azula's opinion but Chan had some gift in storytelling. And so, to entertain herself, Azula naturally entertained the brainless vampire while inconspicuously leading them to the forbidden ground of the Royal Female Quarters and walked across the boundary with the distracted noble. The guards did not react since Azula was with Chan but the moment they walked ten steps into the forbidden-for-visitors zone, Azure and Scarlet sang through the air, raining down lightning fast slashes on the clueless Navy captain.

She could have killed him, for all Azula cared; such extensive bleeding could not have been healthy for any vampire, much less to one as young as Chan who could not have been very good at Blood Meditation. Still, Azula could not care less. In her book, vampires like Chan were no better than the thin-blooded. The guards ran over to the fallen bloody mess that used to be the son of Admiral Chan and began shouting for help.

A pair of maids ran towards the scene quite conveniently; Azula tossed them her swords, ordering them to clean them thoroughly before walking away nonchalantly. She returned to her room to freshen up and her mood was visibly bright during a brunch with her family, minus the males, and Mai and Ty Lee.

Fire Lady Illah, an ancient vampiress whose silver hair and wrinkled short and lanky stature hid her prowess, was particularly interested in their confrontation with the treasure hunters.

"They were all human, you say?" the Fire Lady drawled lowly, amber eyes trained on the young Princess as her long-taloned fingers wrapped around her teacup.

Azula swallowed the bread in her mouth and broke a piece and dipped it in her soup. "Yes, Fire Lady", she smirked in a way only the daughter of Fire Prince Ozai could. "At least, they tasted human."

Fire Lady Illah put down her cup with admonition. "Princess Azula", she chided. "Must you? We are dining."

Ursa quickly jumped in to diffuse the situation, putting her hand on Azula's lap as the latter was about to speak. "I believe Azula did not mean to upset you, Fire Lady", she turned to her daughter and gave her a subtle warning look. "Isn't that right, Azula?"

"Of course", Azula nonchalantly took a bite of her bread. She swallowed calmly and added as she wiped her hands with a napkin. "But, we really did that. I got the clean looking scholar lady. Her blood tasted particularly sweet", when her mother turned to her and shot her a hard look, Azula quickly added before she could be interrupted. "She had a map with her", the Princess produced a thin scroll from her robe and gestured it over her shoulder for a maid to take it and bring it to the Fire Lady. "You'll find it interesting."

Still keeping her aquiline eyes on the young Princess, Fire Lady Illah received the scroll and inspected the content; her eyes twitched for the briefest of moment. "The sigil… this is from the Imperial Library."

"Restricted only to the members of the Royal Family and nobilities", Azula added lightly. "Either we've been infiltrated or we have traitors in our midst."

The Fire Lady practically spat. "Treachery is not uncommon", she sneered. "Let them try. The Blood of Sozin shall never be defeated."

"Autumn Light Festival is coming", Azula dropped her tone low, exchanging identical stern gaze with her grandmother. "We shall expect a commotion. Surely, you are not suggesting that we do nothing."

"Of course, I don't, girl", the ancient silver-haired vampiress smirked.

-B-L-O-O-D-

The Blue Spirit scurried through the tunnel silently, making no sound as his footsteps tapped away on the wet watery stone floor. The ever-present sound of dripping water hid none of the bestial growling echoing across the space. It was dark and it strained the Blue Spirit to use his vampiric prowess to help him see; he focused his chi and sent it continuously to his optic fibers, allowing his eyes to be hypersensitive to light.

He dodged just before the thin-blooded leaped at him. The thin gaunt creature was bald and had pasty and sickly skin complexion, fanged face and was more animals than human. It jumped at the masked figure again and the Blue Spirit's dual sabers sang through the air, severing the arms and head of the vampire quickly, killing it instantly.

The Blue Spirit sheathed his weapon and began searching the mutilated corpse, finding an emblem in one of the creature's pockets: a copper pentagon with circle in the middle and a leg on the lower right and left.

"Republic City", the figure whispered to himself.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Lin Beifong's badge on the chest of her armor shone in the sunlight. She turned around and Tenzin nodded encouragingly at her. She turned to her officers on the other side of the door they were about to bust and they nodded at her. Two of them took position in front of the door and bent the rock wall around the door frame off, sending it flying inwards. They burst in and started attacking the disorganized vampires and human, some were feeding on each other willingly from the looks of it.

The raid ended quickly.

As they lined up the survivors and marched them to the trucks, Lin and Tenzin found themselves in the master bedroom of the apartment complex that had been turned into some sort of command room. There was only one table in the middle with no chairs and on the farthest wall from the door there were numerous photographs, portraits, maps, notes, and documents bearing small prints or symbols. Strings of red, green, blue, and yellow were pinned like spider web connecting one with another, sometimes more.

And in the middle of the cacophony of intel was a postcard bearing a picture of Fire Nation Royal Palace. And beside it, the picture of Fire Prince…

-B-L-O-O-D-

…_Lu Ten._

The Fire Prince walked down the corridor lazily, scratching his neck as he yawned loud and wide. He stretched his back and ignored the pair of servants that were shadowing his every step. Fire Prince Lu Ten grinned his usual crooked smile and dashed ahead, transforming into the Royal Vampire form in a matter of seconds.

He flapped his mighty wings and took to the sky, ignoring the screaming and shouting of his entourage. Soaring high up in the air, he turned to the direction of the Royal Wing, heeding the call of his Lord.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Move", Asami poked the back of the vagabond with the butt of her sheathed kodachi. Gommu turned briefly and cast the girl a nasty eye before he resumed his walk down the sewer tunnel, accompanied at his right and left by the two boys, both bearing a lantern.

Gommu could not help but threw a glance every now and then at the firebender he knew was a vampire; the vagabond could smell the Life Blood in him. But, there was something else, something that Gommu could not out his fingers on.

Anyway, he would rather not think about it now. He was leading them through the sewer, to the safe haven of all vagabonds, both Unnatural and human. They had their own community there where they supported each other; vampires hunted at night to provide food for the humans and were-creatures, humans relented some of their blood to quench the vampires' needs, and the were-creatures provided security to the whole community.

"We're here", Gommu stopped suddenly, recognizing faint scratches on the bricked wall under the lantern light that he had no intention to point out. The vagabond turned to the group and halted them. "From here on out, only me and the firebender can go. The rest of you will get found out the moment you step foot inside."

Asami turned to Korra and Bolin, the latter shrugged. "Alright", the longhaired non-bender girl growled, pressing the pommel of her blade threateningly below the vampire's chin. "But, I'm warning you. Any funny business and we'll raze this whole place to ash."

"With you in it", Bolin added, trying to look intimidating but only managed to look funny; the piercing amber eyes of his firebender brother though discouraged Gommu from spitting the insult that was brewing at the base of his throat.

The said firebender grasped his upper arm and shoved him forward without uttering a single word. Soon, Gommu found himself leading the firebender through the rest of the journey. "It's not going to work, you know", Gommu felt the need to warn him again, though his intention was far from noble. In fact, he felt a certain glee and anticipation, knowing that he would soon be free and would feast upon those youngsters. His mouth watered at the thought of how sweet the swordswoman's blood must taste like, as sweet as her face, perhaps.

Licking her lips, Gommu led them through an arching pathway and into a large circular basin. Misshapen tents and wooden huts littered around and the place was filled by people of various race, shape, and color united by the visible lack of hygiene and proper clothing. It was like a night market, Mako thought, or a red-light district. He was leaning towards the latter when, as they passed one of the tents, he noticed a woman and a wereboar were doing… _things_, things that should not be attempted across species. Enough said.

Blocking his mind from the moan of ecstasy the woman was inexplicably letting out, Mako strode faster and silently urging Gommu to do the same by poking him lightly but threateningly on the back. Mako scanned around subtly; in another hut a man looked like he was stoned out of his mind from too much jade weed, being fed on by three vampiress on the neck, arm, and gut. Mako turned around and saw in the tent across two humans who were most definitely were-creatures feasting on a deerffalo carcass, ripping the raw meat with sickening sound and blood dripping on their mouths and chins. One of them turned to him and Mako was startled by the sandy brown color of his pupil-less eyes and his pronounced jaw that made him look simian.

They strode though the underground city and Mako now noticed the many burly men and women standing guard on every corners of the spacious basin. Were-creatures, no doubt. Werewolves might be the poster boy of the were-creatures but Earth Kingdom rural areas had their own indigenous species of were-creatures: the werebears of the Korkea Mountain, weremonkeys of Si Wong Region, wereboars of the lush Eastern Earth Kingdom, and many more. Some say there were some tribes of indigenous people in the Northern Shore of the Earth Continent who could transform into sharks and the urban myth surrounding the forest dwellers of the Zhong Thu Region linked them to gorillas.

One of the large men and women noticed the two and halted them. The man, a giant of seven feet tall muscle and patchy leather approached them and grinned at Gommu. His sooty grimy face would have actually looked friendly had his teeth not been a line of darkened fangs and his eyes not a yellowed catlike slit.

"Gommu", the were-creature's voice was unnaturally friendly. "You're back."

"Yes, I am, Tora", the vampire gave the man a hug, reaching only his waist. "It's good to be back."

"We heard you guys hit some snag up there", the man said while the woman moved to Mako and started sniffing him. "Who's that?"

"Oh, him?" Gommu gulped nervously as Mako and the woman exchanged sharp stare. "He's a vamp. Freshly turned. I thought he'd need help adjusting to the… uh, new life."

"Oh, right", the man turned his strangely friendly smile on Mako. "Welcome to the Underground, brother", he offered a hand. Mako took it and realized he made a mistake.

"Now, tell me", the giant of a man snarled. "How is it a newly turned vamp smell nothing like blood? Have you really mastered your thirst already?"

Mako's eyes narrowed a bit as he leered at the woman who was in the middle of transforming. Gommu seemed like he was trying to salvage the situation but decided that it was better to run away screaming. "They forced me to do it!"

Quickly, Mako separated the Yin and Yang of his chi and bring them colliding onto each other like spark rock; he guided the spark of energy out through the hand the large man was grasping and bolt of lightning zapped the man, making him scream. The large man slumped to his knees but his grip held strong. Barring his fangs, he snarled and roared at Mako who brought down his foot on his face, finally able to push him away.

The woman, now in the form of a giant two-legged brown bear roared and slashed its thick paw at the firebender. Mako ducked and rolled to safety, sending shots of fire blasts at the creature that shielded its head with its thick arms.

Dashing away from the confrontation he was not sure he could win, Mako ran through the dwelling area, ignoring the roar of the werebear and the screaming of others in the vicinity. In the middle of his escape, something large and black rammed onto his side, sending him flying ten meters away. Mako managed to notice the giant head of the werebull with long curved horns that looked almost pure white before he hit the ground hard.

Getting up, a creature landed on his back, taking him by surprise, clawing and screaming at him; Mako grunted and somehow managed to grab the thin creature by its shirt and slam it to the ground. It held its grip on the long red scarf Mako was always wearing; a bad move since it resulted in a painful fire blast to the face.

Readjusting his scarf, Mako found himself surrounded from all sides by various were-creatures and vampires, along with humans bearing weapons of all size and shape and kind. He noticed werebears and –boars, several rare werebulls, and a single werelion. Many vampires both fanged and not, all thin and looking malnourished and sporting sickly blue tone on their pale skin. And many weapons both real and improvised; spears and swords, sabers and halberds, a bat with nails and a plank and various assortment of pipes and farming t—

—THUD—

And apparently a cast iron frying pan, Mako noticed before his vision darkened.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Zuko was just checking the hidden wooden panel in his bathroom floor before he splashed water on his face and got out of his bathroom, nearly running into his sister who was just about to knock the door.

Zuko's _'what are you doing here?'_ did not come fast enough as Azula beat him to it. "Where's dad?"

"How should I know", Zuko grumbled, pushing past the girl as he walked to his closet for another layer of sleeping robe.

"Where's Mai and Ty Lee?"

"Home?"

"Where's Lu Ten?"

"I don't know."

"Where have you been?"

Zuko turned to the girl who was leaning on one of the beams of his four-poster bed.

"None of your business", he replied curtly, fixing his sash. "Now, are you done? I want to take a nap."

Azula narrowed her eyes at her brother who challenged her stare, scanning the older vampire up and down. "You're keeping something from me", she concluded suspiciously, then she smirked. "I don't know if I should be offended or proud. Have you finally learnt the fine art of stealth and subtlety, Zuzu?" for the Zuzu she knew wore his heart on his sleeve proudly.

"Just go away", Zuko growled, burrowing into his blanket. _Oh, if only she knew_, he bitterly thought, already regretting the many times he risked his neck for her in the shadow.

"Lu Ten promised to teach me the next step of Lightning Generation", Azula said almost sulkily. "I can't find him anywhere."

"Maybe he's out climbing the palace again", Zuko said tiredly tugging his blanket closer to him. "You know he's weird."

Azula threw a pillow down hard on her brother's head on her way out.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"I don't understand this", Lin Bei Fong admitted, picking up a random paper and read it; it was some nonsensical trivial document regarding Republic City's case file regarding a werewolf attack.

"Water Tribe, Si Wong Desert, Fire Nation Royal Palace, Shu Jing…" Tenzin muttered, shifting through a folder of similar looking documents bearing different insignia. "What's going on here? How did they get their hands on these official documents?"

"Oh… Tenzin?" Lin looked and sounded uncomfortable as she handed another piece of paper he was reading, a profile bearing a picture of a young Air Acolyte.

"What's this?" Tenzin frowned, receiving the paper. "Aang of Southern Air Temple", he stayed silent for a few seconds as he skim read the brief information on the paper. "Who is this kid?"

-B-L-O-O-D-

Princess Azula loosed the bird bearing a letter to Ty Lee and shut her window. She sank back to the chair of her study and scowled, crossing her arms. Her father was nowhere to be found and Lu Ten had all but disappeared. Zuko had failed to show up at dinner and she had had to spend it alone with her mother and grandmother. Not that she minded it. It was just that being in the middle of those two matriarchs was like being in the middle of a dead match between a mama platypus-bear and a cranky tiger-wolf.

Azula would not want to be near them without any males of their family as a meat shield; Fire Lord Azulon was their liege, Iroh was Azulon's favorite, Ozai was Ursa's, Lu Ten was Illah's, Zuko was the runt, and Azula was a girl. For all her talent and potential, Azula could never rise higher than Lu Ten or even Zuko on account of her gender, at least not in the eyes of her grandparents. Ozai favored her and Lu Ten loved her like a sister. Ursa loved her too but Azula was awkward at receiving her kind of love. Azulon could not care less about her, not when he had two male successors, and Illah, though she showed preference sometimes on account of Azula's talent in Ancient Magic, absolutely despised it when Azula was being bratty and impertinent; an occurrence that happened quite often lately.

Ursa would always jump to Azula's defense and it often caused a friction between her and her mother-in-law.

Dinner should not be that tense. It did not help with the digestion. To top her misery, her cherry yoghurt desert was not sweet enough. She spent the whole dinner on the edge of her seat, waiting for the whole thing to end quickly.

The day was quite miserable for the vampire Princess. Her almost murdering the son of Admiral Chan was not something Fire Lady Illah found tolerable. Fire Lord Azulon could not care less; just as he could not care less about all other unworthy. Vampires who are vampires because their parents or relatives turned them were as good as thin-blooded to the ancient Fire Lord.

Still, Fire Lady Illah was more than displeased that a female of her blood acted so barbarically. Ursa did not feel comfortable about the idea of a boy approaching her daughter that way and was actually quite accepting of the way Azula handled the situation, with an appropriate amount of guile and cunning and not stingy on the violence. Many made the mistake of thinking that Azula inherited her cunning mind from her father; cruelty and willingness to act upon it, she got from her dad. The talent to manipulate people, that was all from her mom. Ozai was the type to actually rely on his status and immeasurable power to intimidate people into obedience.

Azula changed into her more comfortable nightrobe and climbed onto her bed, wishing that day was but a nightmare.

From the corner of her dark room, a figure materialized, hooded and light-armored, with a dagger of black ivory hilt strapped on his sash. And a single nightshade held in his hand.

The figure's amber eyes were bright, fixed upon the slumbering Princess.


	5. Chapter 5 - Moment

**Chapter 5 - Moment**

Disclaimer: no profit is being made.

* * *

The Blue Spirit stalked from the top of the tall sequoia-willow tree, standing on the v-shaped branching trunks of the tall vegetation. Using his vampiric prowess, his vision zoomed in on the target half a mile away: a simple well-hidden wooden fort in the middle of the forest. Climbers and hikers had gone missing around these parts and the Blue Spirit had made it his mission to find out what caused it and put an end to it.

With his heightened sense of sight, he saw right in the middle of the training ground where tens of men and women were milling about, completely uncaring of the three beat-up looking men tied up to three of the many torture posts erected on the corner of the ground. The men and women wore patches of armor, the Blue Spirit noted, and some of them were clearly once worn by Fire Nation soldiers. Deserters, he mulled, or bandits.

There was the thing he overheard from some soldiers he investigated from the shadow about the 51st Platoon of the Youth Regiment that was sent to hunt some bandits who had set up a base in the forest and how the whole fifty of them disappeared and never to be heard from again. The Blue Spirit found it hard to believe that fifty trained vampire soldiers could be defeated by a horde of bandits. The Blue Spirit was especially suspicious since the Regiment was part of General Wu Chao's Homeland Security Force. The General's name came up several times in the Imperial Agents report regarding the ongoing conspiracy investigation.

There are too many, the Blue Spirit thought, crossing his arms as he leaned on the tree trunk. Too many.

And, as he noticed a familiar face emerging from the command tent, _deserters_, he decided.

Stretching slightly, Ruon Jian walked across the camp bare-chested. Two of the guards dragged a struggling woman to him. The deserter grinned as his face changed and the woman's scream as the fangs sunk into her neck was pitiful and loud under the moonlit night sky.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula roused up from her sleep, sighing contentedly despite knowing that it was still midnight. The mid-autumn night of Fire Nation is often marked by a wet cold in the air, bringing a taste of winter to come.

Azula did not feel cold. Even if she was completely naked.

She felt his arms snuggling her closer to his chest; Azula smiled as her naked back rubbed against the warmth of his bare chest. He sighed at the back of her head into her hair and Azula could not help but smile. She thought he was sleeping until his hand snaked up and fondled one of her breasts.

She giggled and elbowed him sharply. She turned slightly as he pushed himself up a little on her; they kissed and Azula felt truly home. "So", they broke off and Azula linked her arms around his neck after she drew some blanket on her chest; just because they had seen each other naked numerous times before, does not mean Azula wanted to show too much too often. "Two months and you brought me back… what? A flower and a ring?"

He smiled and leaned down, kissing her tenderly and slowly on the lips; the said flower, a panda lily, and the golden engraved ring with two coiling dragons and a star-shaped blood-red ruby gemstone where their mouths met lay on the nightstand where a single black-ivory dagger was and an ivory-handled red-lacquered jian sword was propped against.

"Well", Lin smirked and kissed the Princess once more. "I didn't have much free time during my…" they kissed again. "…visit in the Earth Kingdom and…" and again. "…had a little time to get you something", he leaned down for another kiss but Azula held out a dainty finger to his lips.

"What's wrong?" she asked; her tone was surprisingly gentle, not as surprising as her sharpness of perception. "You look troubled."

Her amber eyes held his of the same shade for a second or two before he dived down gently into her neck, taking a mouthful of her flesh and landed numerous kisses on the other side. He slid down her chest and rained down tiny kisses and nibbles on her mounds, reveling in the intoxicating taste of her skin. He came back up and took her lips, her sweet sweet lips, and did not relent despite her lightly pushing him away. _She_ would relent.

Her feeble pushing hands turned into gentle link of arms around his neck, holding him in place.

They did not break apart for what seemed to be a forever that did not, and could not, last long enough for them.

Azula arched back a little and instinctively as he moved to her neck once more. She braced herself to deliver the order; she hated it when answer is denied from her. "Tell me."

It would have sounded like a command had she not moaned the word.

She could almost feel his smirk in her neck as he stopped the kissing and nibbling.

"Shut up", she grumbled as she hugged his head to her neck tightly, tugging his head under her chin. "Answer me."

He sighed, withdrawing a bit, tickling Azula's neck with his breath but the girl held him tight. She did let him rise up a bit. Lin leveled his face on Azula's and landed gently there. He felt her eyelashes on his forehead and every inch of her skin on his; her nose beside his eye, her lips near his nose, her chin on his lips, her arms around him, her hand stroking his hair and back, her breasts pressing against his chest, her stomach below his moving with every breath she took, one of her legs wrapped around his almost possessively.

Lin felt at peace.

He forced himself apart, lying down beside his Princess. Azula turned to her side, tugging the blanket around her chest and squirmed up a little to level herself to his. Lin found the way the Princess shrugged a little, tugging her blanket closer to her, almost adorable. Her sharp uncompromising stare that came next was not something that even he could trifle with, though. And Lin knew it.

"It's just work", the boy sighed, drawing closer and engulfing the Princess, blanket and all, in his suddenly lethargic embrace. "The last few hits were… _unusual_", he felt like a child he had been once more the first time he met the Princess.

"Come on, now", Azula detached herself from him a little and landed a peck on his lips. "It can't be that bad."

Lin's face went flat and so did his tone. "A colonial town guard, a simple farmer, a fruit vendor, a prostitute, a merchant, and a ship cook", he listed. "Not really the types of people who could threaten our war effort, are they?"

Azula simply shrugged. Lin knew it was the sign that she had decided to drop the matter. That really how she showed that she cared; not by displaying something good, but by not inflicting something bad. And besides, they only get to meet once in awhile; it was not like they had a lot of candles to burn.

Their schedules were erratic to say the least. The leader of their team of Blood Flame was Zuko and he was the one with the sole right to decide which mission to take and when they took it. Lin, a Shadow Brother, received his missions directly from the Fire Lord through the Whispers and, as per the standard procedure, earned a month's rest every eight souls he claimed for the glory of their Nation. Depending of the targets he was given, Lin could be gone for months at a time.

They did not get to be together as often as they would like and it worried Azula greatly. Mortals, in her experience, are fragile.

"Let me turn you", she said, looking at Lin's lips as she could not bring herself to look him in the eye. Turning a mortal is not a trivial thing, especially for a royalty like her. When a pureblooded vampire turns a mortal, they will be bonded for life by both the law and the mysticism that surrounds vampirism.

The law compels sires to train their childes so they could function as something more civilized than the thin-blooded and, if the sire and the childe share a relationship of great intimacy prior to the turning, they will often share an almost telepathic bond between them. There are many variations to the rules regarding the bond but Azula and Lin both knew that should Azula turn Lin, they would have to enter wedlock. They did not mind it, though, Azula's family, however, especially her overprotective father, her mama-bear mother, her traditionalist grandmother, her Fire Lord of a grandfather, and her over-nurturing cousin might feel differently.

Zuko would just laugh if his sister ended up with a non-pureblood.

"You know how I feel about this", Lin sighed, stroking the side of her face. "And besides, if you turn me now, what will happen when you age and I stay the same?" since a turned vampire did not have the pureblooded genetic ability to age. "People will mistake me as your boy toy."

Azula strained her gleeful smile. "That's not a bad thing", she purred, tapping Lin's nose. "I'm a Princess. I'm allowed to have a boy toy."

"Yeah", Lin snorted. "Try that with your dad. I dare you."

Azula sniffed, still smiling. "Stupid", she murmured and found her eyes once more slid down to his mouth; it was not the first time her offer was rejected but it still stung a little. She sighed and leaned forward, putting her forehead on his chest. She could not have ever imagined the little boy she had met years ago would grow into one that would hold her now in bed.

"_I know you!"_ the little three years old boy had bounced up to her, tugging her tasset, grinning wide before he declared to the Princess, who looked down at him witheringly, Mai, who quirked her brow afterwards in a rare facial show of emotion, and Ty Lee, who could not stop giggling for a full week. _"I'm gonna marry you!"_

Azula had scoffed and walked away, assuming the kid was crazy.

It was not until the dinner that night when she found out that Admiral Jeong Jeong had been visiting the Fire Lord to present his grandson, human grandson, who apparently possessed the Gift. The Admiral himself was Gifted before Fire Prince Iroh turned him. And, though it was surprising that the noble boy was inducted into the Shadow Brotherhood, Azula did not even blink when she heard the news, nine years after their first meeting, that the thirteen year old boy was inducted into the Whispered.

The Whispered, a subdivision within the Brotherhood that consisted of select vampire warriors and Gifted humans. They received the Mark of Gray Flame on their solar plexus that functioned as a badge of honor and a magical conduit that connect each and every one of them to Fire Lord Azulon, effectively making them the Fire Lord's personal assassins. Azula traced her long-nailed finger on the small ash-gray tattoo of Fire Nation insignia with a chip on the middle prong gently.

Azula remembered the day he was inducted into the Brotherhood; clad in his enigmatic black armor and robe, wearing a hood and a silver mask of the Whispered, depicting the surprisingly beautiful face of the Shadow-Lynx, the patron spirits of spies and assassins, like the rest of the newly inducted to hide their identities.

Azula had been perfectly happy sitting at the table alongside Zuko, enjoying the sight of her brother fuming with his smoky fists clenched tight on his lap as he watched Mai dancing with another nobleman (the two of them, for some reason, chose not to go public with their relationship). But, there he was, masked and mysterious, approaching the almost deserted table of the Royal Family –Azulon had retired early, as always, with Illah, while Ozai socialized with the guests with Ursa who was compelled to stay by his side; Lu Ten and Iroh had been away on an inspection-, asking her hand for a dance. Azula, with the working system of a fourteen year old girl, could not help but feel something akin to attraction to the whole situation.

Ty Lee had teased her endlessly until Mai made her stop about Azula and the mysterious assassin disappearing in the middle of the dance to the middle of nowhere. Azula, having noticed the sweeping glances her father had sent across the room looking for her, had slipped away with the assassin in tow; they had spent the rest of the evening in the garden outside the ballroom, amongst numerous couples seeking privacy to make out and groped each other under their robes.

They had danced –and nothing more!- to the faint faraway music echoing from the ballroom.

At the end of the song, Azula had removed his mask; slowly, she remembered, and he did not protest. Despite having grown into a fine young man, Azula could still recognize the four year old in him. He did not seem to remember their first encounter and Azula asked his name. He had simply smiled and slipped away, leaving his mask and his Princess. The life of a mortal Whispered is fragile and he knew it. _They_ knew it. He did not want to burden the Princess with the memory of him. Vampires are immortals and they carried their pain for the rest of eternity.

Azula kept the mask and carried it with her all the time like a charm. Mai had found out about it during one of their mission and had been sworn to secrecy; the gloomy vampiress had never asked any questions about it and Azula had stopped teasing her about Zuko (she did not stop teasing _Zuko_ about Mai, though).

The assassin had been all but forgotten by the Princess when, by a stroke of luck, they found themselves pursuing the same goal during a pirate hunt. Azula had been separated from her group and found herself being saved from a boar-q-pine that had cornered her in the jungle by a hooded stranger; what girl would not swoon?

Imagine their surprise of finding each other again after four years. The rest, as they call it, is history.

Azula stroked her finger on the tattoo lightly and felt its magic hum below her touch. He was special; he was Gifted. Magic and bending are two different thing; bending is a physical art (hence, it cannot manifest in the Spirit World) while magic is the mortals' attempt at exploiting the spiritual energy. Bending consumes chi, taxes the muscle, breath, concentration, and calories like any other physical activity; the use of magic chips at the person's very life force. And the life force is the fuel of life.

The theory is simple: each of us is born carrying a certain amount life force. As we grow, experience life, happiness, joy, love, pain, suffering, betrayal, and all flavors life brings, the life force is sapped away little by little. With proper exercise, healthy diet, stress-free lifestyle, and certain meditative practices, the pace the life force is sapped can be reduced but never stopped. Mortal human attempting to use Ancient Magic is close to suicide. Theoretically, only vampires can use Ancient Magic safely due to their Life Blood; Life Blood is life force given form and powerful vampires have a large reservoir of Life Blood and can replenish it easily by feeding.

However, sometimes, mortals are born with inherent affinity towards spirituality and it manifested in the form of some supernatural ability; Admiral Jeong Jeong was born human with the ability to communicate with spirits, his departed human wife was a powerful seer, and his grandson inherited some of the woman's ability.

Most Gifted humans do not live to their old age; they either keel over and die when their life force is depleted or Fate would devise something to make their end more interesting. There is a legend of a great Fire Sage who had the ability to heal sick people with his touch and he died because a stork-raven flew past him and dropped its prey of a turtle-duck on his head from great heights, instantly shattering the Sage's skull.

Azula had lived a long life; thirteen hundred and ninety eight years is a long long time and she had suffered too much loss to become numb of it. She still remembered her nursemaid Huang Mei, a mortal human who started taking care of her since the woman was a young eighteen year old girl until the day she grew old, withered, and died at the age of eighty. And yet, the Princess lived the period as a toddler of five year old. Azula remembered crying her eyes out, begging her parents to turn the old nursemaid only to be rejected; they did not turn people willy-nilly, especially so since they were the Royal Family and had to set an example to the people.

Huang Mei did not mind though and parted with kind words of love and a smile on her face, hugging the tiny Princess in her arms as she drifted away, declaring that she had no regrets despite having spent pretty much all her life in the confinement of the Palace and never truly living her own life. Ursa and Iroh often commented that the nursemaid's death changed Azula, turning her cold and distant.

Fire Nation is an emotional race and the scar still left a mark on Azula's soul.

"Please", she said quietly. "It won't hurt", she lied; it will most definitely hurt.

"We've talked about this", Lin said just as tenderly, burying this lower face in the girl's hair and took in the alluring scent of her hair.

"No, we haven't", Azula raised her head and finally looked at him in the eye. "_You_ joked about this. _Every_ time."

Lin just smiled and kissed her slowly and passionately on the lips; he took her soft sweet lower lip in his mouth as he rolled her gently to her back, taking her wrists and pinning them above her head. The blanket over Azula's chest abandoned its post as Lin took his appointed place on top of her.

"Are you trying to distract me?" Azula asked in between tiny gasps as Lin moved to her neck and landed a volley of slow small kisses on her skin. She felt a burst of air that was his snicker. "Maybe", he said before he resumed his kissing. "Is it working?"

Azula bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing. "Maybe", she said. Lin rose up and met her lips once more. "What are we doing?" she asked softly, nose brushing Lin's.

"Well, you know, some adult stuff", Lin answered offhandedly. Smirking, he leaned down and tried to kiss her again but Azula turned away, giggling, her legs clamped shut. Half-giggling, half-squeaking, she let out a high-pitch. "Rapist!"

"Sshh!" Lin stopped what he was doing and shushed her. "What if people hear that?" he demanded urgently despite his amused smirk.

"They'll imprison you, my dad will torture you a bit, I'll tell my parents you've deflowered me, and you'll get turned so you can marry me to avoid scandal", the Princess smirked the only way she could.

"Hmm… yeah, whether or not we do the dirty deed, I'll get arrested and…"

"Yup!"

"But, there's a chance that I might get killed right away by your dad, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Wouldn't it be more beneficial for me if we do it for real? Because, you know, I might just… well, _die_?"

Azula sucked in her lips to hold in her smirk and their eyes met and Azula could feel the faint smile forming on her face slowly. "Okay", she said. With certainty. With a small veil of rush sweeping across her chest and face, and a small cold lump in the stomach; she was sure she was blushing.

Lin stared into her eyes for a moment or two. "Are you sure?" he asked softly. "Because, you know I won't say no."

Azula snickered. "Of course, I know", she replied. "You're a pervert."

"Am not", Lin breathed as he dived in mouth first into her kiss, taking position between her legs, feeling her soft thighs brushing against his sides.

Azula stiffened up and had to draw in a deep breath to relax her back; Lin took it as a sign to break off the kiss and, though Azula was disappointed at the abruptness of the kiss, she was not too disappointed by the renewed kisses that invaded the tender skin of neck and upper chest. That, however, took second seat to the light prodding of his manhood on the opening of her womanhood.

She felt him prodding forward gently and slowly, and her slit parting slightly. She gasped and squeaked. "Wait!" she was suddenly aware of her wrists still pinned by the boy and she hated how Ty Lee-ish she sounded so she cleared her throat, strugglingly, and she grimaced a bit despite herself. "Okay. I'm ready…"

Stifling a smile, Lin kissed his Princess along the jawline and nibbled her earlobe, eliciting a light moan. He resumed his entrance but only slightly and very carefully for she knew Azula would rise up and fail to do so under him. "Ng… I-I change my mind…"

"No taksies-backsies", he whispered to her ear, teasingly pushing further a little, never really entering. Azula began hyperventilating and squirming under him, freeing her wrists, and it grew into light slaps on his back and a mighty push when she realized he was snickering on her neck.

"It's not funny!" she grumbled, flustered and pouting.

It took Lin a few seconds to completely stop laughing. Clearing his throat, he turned to the blushing pouting Princess who had once again gathered a layer of blanket over her chest and crossing her arms like she often would when she was upset.

"Come on, beautiful", he teased, tapping her nose. "I knew you wouldn't go through with it."

"You don't know that", Azula grumbled, beating away the embarrassment that was starting to surge up but allowing herself to be scooped up by and held on top of Lin. "What?" she sulked when Lin did not say anything and seemed to be lost in his gentle gaze on her face.

"Nothing", the boy pulled her down gently and tugged her head under his chin and her entire self in his enveloping embrace. "I just miss you."

"You're a dummy", Azula muttered, pushing one of her bang off her face. She rose up a little and hugged his neck. "Tell me about the gifts. A sentimental dummy like you never gave me things without some well thought-out romantic reason."

"Well", Lin actually perked up and Azula snickered. "The flower is panda-lily, a rare species that only grow on the mouth of a volcano; yeah…" he hissed, smirking to match his Princess' amused smile. "I climbed a volcano for you. Mount Makapu."

Azula faked a gasp. "The most active volcano in the Earth Continent?"

"Yeah", Lin, in turn, faked a childish bragging tone. "It was scary, you know."

"Aww", Azula smirked and pecked his nose. "Was it?"

"Yeah… lava, flame, bad smell, and all—_aaahhh_, of course", Lin grimaced in pain all of a sudden, shutting his eyes hard, gritting his teeth.

"Hey…" Azula was on him promptly, knowing full well what was going on. "Stop it!"

"You do…know…" Lin managed a sour smile despite his pain before said pain overwhelmed him briefly. "…that I can't… control this, right?"

"Try", Azula ordered; a flock of her bang fell down on Lin's face but they ignored it. "You have to control it", Azula instructed and was utterly perplexed at the slight tremble in her still acceptably steady voice despite the steadiness off her elbows propped at the sides of Lin's head and her hands running across his forehead, keeping his hair off his face. "Just like we practiced. Breathe…" she managed to sound firmer this time.

"And… it's gone", Lin let out a breath he did not even know he was holding. Azula sort of scowled a bit.

"That was anticlimactic", she grumbled to hide her relief; she was not very good at showing affection. "We haven't got to the part about concentration and clarity."

"Shouldn't we just be grateful that it's over", Lin sighed, smiling gleefully. Azula nuzzled into his arms and he found it hard to believe that _she_ was the older one. "And… _anticlimactic_? Interesting choice of word since we're in bed, naked. Anyway, enough about me. How are you doing lately?"

"Well, I'm doing fine, considering I'm not the one who's wasting precious life force on some obscure vision. What did you see?" Azula narrowed her eyes sharply and she did not understand how Lin could look so nonchalant about this.

"Want to tell me?" Azula asked again quietly.

"Nope", Lin rolled around a little to put the Princess down but Azula whined a little and he stayed on his back with the girl on top of him. Sighing, he let the weight and warmth on his naked Princess comfort him. "Let's just sleep, okay?"

"You have a month", Azula grew stern. "And you plan to go to Shu Jing the day after tomorrow and you don't even know when you're going to come back here", she harrumphed but her pout was nothing short of adorable in Lin's eyes. "And you want to sleep? You want to waste time sleeping?"

Lin simply smiled and gently tugged the Princess' head into his embrace.

"Stupid", Azula grumbled; Lin simply smiled.

"Idiot."

He kissed the top of her head.

"Dummy."

He tried to stifle his laugh, aware of the tremor across his chest shaking the Princess.

"Dummy. _Dummydummydummydummydummydummy_…"

"Shh…" Lin squeezed her gently. "Sleep."

"Can't", Azula whined like a little girl. She picked herself up a bit and squirmed up to level her face on Lin's. "I'm feeling a bit peckish."

Lin gave her a dry stare. "I'm not a snack."

"Please. Please! Pleasepleasepleeease!"

Lin snickered. "Not cute enough."

"Pweeeaaseee…"

"Oh, the puppy-dog eyes", Lin sighed. "Not too much", Lin conceded, closing his eyes. "And I don't wanna see your fanged face. The last time I did, I actually have nightmares."

Azula smirked as she met his lips. "Racist", she purred before her face changed; she nipped her razor sharp fang at Lin's lower lip, making the boy jolt and a trickle of blood appear.

"Ow! Does it have to be on the mouth?!" he protested, grimacing but keeping his eyes closed. Azula shushed him and assumed her usual face before she claimed the cut lip, sucking the blood gently like the sweet filling of a candy. Lin's hand coming to her face and tapping her forehead blindly, totally ruining the mood.

"What?" Lin whined at the scathing annoyed noise Azula let out; he opened one eye to inspect. "You played me once. I'm not gonna fall for that again."

"Stupid", Azula muttered but went back to her snack. She missed his taste.

Taking in the taste of his lip and blood, Azula reminisced of the first time she had tasted his blood; that fated pirate hunt that brought them together again after the dance. Separated from Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee (meat shields), Azula was wounded quite heavily from the battle with the giant boar-q-pine. She would have resorted to using high-level firebending that would use up a lot of her depleting Life Blood had Lin not appear out of nowhere and saved her.

Still, Azula had been bleeding heavily and lost quite a lot of blood. Lin offered his blood but, since the act of feeding was not really… well, _nice_, Azula naturally refused. It had taken two days for Lin to convince her to feed of him and Azula could barely move by the time.

Blood tastes differently to different vampire. It may have something to do with Evolution Theory, like many things about them. Imagine living for hundreds of years eating the same thing every day; it drives people crazy and might be the real reason why vampires indulge themselves in blood meditation to decrease their necessary intake.

Iroh once said that warm fresh blood, straight from the source, tasted like the many different highland tea to him, with more kicks and stronger flavor than regular tea. Ozai, a secretly avid tea lover, tasted fresh blood the same way. Ursa tasted various kind of sweet in her blood; a trait that her sweet-toothed children inherited. Zuko once confessed that when he drank fresh blood, he tasted several different kind of sugar. Azula, for some reason, savored the sweetness ranging from fruit sweet to honey sweet.

Lin's blood initially tasted like ripe apple to her; mildly saccharine, but not to the point of being sickeningly cloying. As they grew closer, the taste changed. It is normal for the taste to change when a vampire grew emotionally closer to the source. Now, as Azula licked the healing wound slowly, twisting her tongue on the boy's lips, scavenging any leftover ooze, she tasted a fruity lusciousness and fragrance of moon peach, sweet and gently so.

Vampire's saliva has a mild healing property for simple flesh wound to keep their prey from bleeding to death and Lin's cut lip looked as good as new.

"No, don't stop", he pulled the giggling Princess back and devoured her lips.

Reluctantly though, Azula parted. "You're getting better", she commented, half-irked, half-amused. "You managed to shield your blood memory from me. I don't know if I should be proud or offended."

Lin smirked smugly. "I learnt from the best."

"I taught you too much", Azula said, sighing as she pecked Lin's lips, conceding the rare defeat. "Tell me."

Lin simply snuggly hugged her, not saying a word, feeling that it was safe to let his guard down. He knew Azula well enough to know that the Princess would try to use her magical prowess to read his blood. Despite her disinclination towards Lin's vision, she was always awfully curious about what he saw. _"Better not let it go to waste",_ she once said. _"If you're going to die because of this, at least we gain something from it."_

Sighing, Lin stroked the Princess' hair as she rested her head demurely on his chest. "Well", he started. "I saw… a monk, an Air Monk. And then I felt cold. Damp."

"Damp?" Azula purred, playfully scratching a circle on Lin's skin with her nail.

"Yeah, like sewer damp, you know."

"I've never been to a sewer."

"Oh, you're missing out on so much", Lin joked. "And…" he breathed, closing his eyes and recalling the vision. "A… giant woman."

-B-L-O-O-D-

Kyoshi was more than pleased of her Warriors' performance but she did not let it show. Stern and stoic as always, the giant woman simply drained her cup of tea and got up; her earthbent throne sunk back almost naturally at her very step, leaving the earth as undisturbed as it had been.

She gave no affirmation nor confirmation of the pride she felt for her Warriors.

The real fight out there would be brutal and bloody. And the Kyoshi Warriors had not seen real a fight for more than a century.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Kyoshi? Huge, green kimono and armor, golden fan, white face paint?" Azula frowned. She slid down and lay on her side, searching Lin's face for any sign of lie. "So", she said finally, finding none of such sign. "The Earth Giantess is alive. Lu Ten would be glad to hear it", she snorted sarcastically.

"What's wrong?" Lin frowned, staring into the Princess' troubled face. "You know her?"

"She's a bit before your time", Azula said. "Around…" she inhaled and her face scrunched up, trying to recall the memory; Lin stifled a smile at how cute she actually looked. "… I don't know, a hundred something years ago, Kyoshi led her Warriors and assaulted our Royal Palace."

"Wait a minute…" Lin blinked in surprise. "She made it _here_? To the Palace?"

Azula simply shrugged. "The Kyoshi Warriors are famed for their stealth. The Fire Nation Academia is famed for altering historical account", her jaw hardened. "I was on vacation on Ember Island with Zuko, my mom, and my dad. Uncle and Lu Ten were in the Palace. They said Fire Lord Azulon and Great-Grandfather Roku fought her to a draw but Great-Grandfather lost too much Life Blood and entered a Coma. Lu Ten tried to interfere and he was nearly killed."

"A hundred years ago… that's odd", Lin pondered, shutting his eyes and trying to recall the vision of the giant woman. "She doesn't look old."

"She's the most powerful earthbender in history", Azula shrugged. "Earth is the Element of Might. They say powerful earthbenders can live for a long time. King Bumi is a hundred and twelve. The Merchant King Shian Li is two hundred eighty six. Earth Master Sud, if he is indeed alive, should have been close to four hundred something. And don't forget Elder Yuan Man; some say he was born when Fire Lord Azulon assume the Fire Throne."

"What are they? Unnatural?" Lin asked, squirming closer for a hug.

"No, normal human", Azula sighed contentedly, keeping her arms between her and Lin, and her blanket in place. "Many earthbending masters live a long life. There might be something about the Element. Now that I think about it, Fire Lady Illah used to conduct experiment on captured earthbending masters but, if I recall correctly, her findings were moot because the said masters were not really _that_ good. Stop groping my butt."

"Nope", Lin smirked, pecking the Princess on the front cheek and giving her firm derriere a firm squeeze. "I haven't seen you since… what, four months ago?"

"Three months and two days; don't be overdramatic."

"And now, here you are… I miss you. So much…"

"Yeah…?"

"Your boobs, more than the rest of you."

"Of course", Azula rolled around but Lin caught her.

"No, don't! Come back here and fulfill my carnal desire!"

Azula proved herself quite a capable wielder of pillows.

-B-L-O-O-D-

The ancient vampire patriarch breathed in deeply in his meditation. Perfect lotus position, he was in, sitting on a deep-red cushion in front of the pedestal that held the small shrine depicting a faceless slender figure clad in a flowing dark hooded robe; the Spirit of Nightcrow, Master of Death.

Behind the pedestal, a wall was engraved with cloudy flame framing a series of multi-layered racks that housed thick white candles that were alight with odd ash-gray flame. There were exactly one hundred and eight of candles, as it had always been and would always be, and around seventeen of them were not lit.

The ancient vampire, clad in the red and gold robe with its distinctive five-layer shoulder garment, opened his gold eyes. Fire Lord Azulon did not like the way one of the candles flickered. The gray flame roared and thrashed around like tiny wild fire until it burst blood-red and snuffed out, leaving a trail of curling smoke from the tip of its wick.

Azulon rose up and walked towards the candles platforms and touched a long bony index finger on the still smoky candle; the white stick of wax actually _bled,_ drop of thick dark-red viscous liquid oozed out from the spot his finger touched.

"Zhang Wu…" he muttered the name of the Whispered he had sent to deal with the Pirate King of the Lonely Sea, Takkuro of the Water Tribe. "Such a waste", he lamented and indeed it was such a waste. Zhang Wu was a senior assassin and one of his best.

In the middle platform, carved into the wall and bulging out with some space between it and the nearby candles, was a bust; hooded and masked, bearing the face of a beautiful lynx with openings on the eyes and mouth, like the masks worn by the Whispered.

Fire Lord Azulon pressed his sharp-nailed thumb to his index finger, drawing a drop of blood. He pressed it on one specific candle within arm's reach and watched the drop of red seeped into the white wax like a drop of water on sponge. He leaned next and whispered into the ear of the bust. "_Ikem_", he called. _"The time has come for Takkuro of the Water Tribe to die."_

Ikem was not his first choice but Azulon did not want to waste precious manpower. The Whispered, each represented by the candles, were difficult to find and trained. Zhang Wu and his talent in mind reading had been one of his most trusted and now he died; Ikem and his ability to control a wolf spirit had not yet earned Azulon's trust but he would do. At the very least, he could wear the Pirate King down some more.

And then, Azulon would send another; this time, one he trusted.

At least, Azulon might just be rid of Ikem yet.

Satisfied, Fire Lord Azulon decided to retire for the night. Torches and candles went out as he passed, leaving the room in complete darkness save for the ash-colored hue of the candles that shone little to no light.

But, it was enough for the masked figure stepping out from the darkness. The Blue Spirit let down his guard, turning off his magical barrier that had hidden his presence from the Fire Lord. Carefully, he tiptoed to the candles and the bust, making no sound at all in his wake.

He pondered before he did anything else. He knew of the Whispered and their reputation; any one of them would be useful. Human and vampires who possessed spiritual power, The Blue Spirit had heard of them and the many superhuman feats they were capable of: telepathy, levitation, teleportation, phasing, invulnerability, invisibility, and many other –bilities.

They could be useful. They _would_ be useful.

The Blue Spirit took off one of his gloves and nicked his finger on one of the sharpened fangs on his mask. He pressed the bloody finger on a random candle and whispered to the bust.

-B-L-O-O-D-

It was four hours before sunrise and Azula purred softly in her sleep. Safe and warm in the arms of the assassin, she let down her guard. She snuggled closer to the boy but the said boy's eyes snapped open as the Whisper reached his ear. The Princess' warmth and scent had never failed to lull him to sleep but the spine-chilling and blood-curdling Whisper was a force of reckon.

"Oh, crud…" Lin muttered as he received his order.


	6. Chapter 6 - Lazy Morning

**Chapter 6 – Lazy Morning**

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Drunken Dragon Tavern was as busy as usual despite the near dawn time of the day. The barmaids on the night shift were always the older ones; older, bigger, plumper. But, on the plus side, they usually had looser morale compass.

"Come now, love", the off-duty mercenary pleaded drunkenly with a random barmaid on his lap, laughing along with his drinking buddies. "Just one bite. It won't hurt."

"Zao! You know the rule!" the bartender/bouncer/owner hollered from behind the counter. "No bloodsucking!"

"Aw, come one, old man", Zao laughed derisively, holding on to the barmaid. "She won't mind, will she?" the drunken man turned to the barmaid and batted his beady eyes.

"No, she won't", the woman sighed, putting down a tray she was holding. "But", she pushed her long hair to the side, revealing her neck that was unprotected by the low cut of her dress. "No more than a gulp."

"Promise", Zao held up his palm. At the cheering laughter of his friends, his face changed and he sunk his fangs on the woman's neck, eliciting a moan of pleasure from the latter. The old bartender sighed and threw his hands up.

Vampire's saliva has a peculiar psychotropic property. When it enters the victim's bloodstream, it will quickly inhibit pain receptors and travel to the brain where it stimulates the release of certain neurotransmitters such as dopamine, and induces euphoria, and reduces the effect of norepinephrine to weaken focus and pain perception. In effect, a vampire bite can be quite an enjoyable, almost orgasmic experience.

Zao was turned last year by his captain, the large silent man in an iron-plated laminar armor who was sitting at the other side of the round table, the only one who did not laugh or smile or cheer at the commotion. But, having a permanent vamped-out face sort of ruins a person's smile.

That is one of the unsolved mysteries of the vampirism. Pureblooded vampires are always born normal, with the ability to assume fanged face, the ability to retain blood in their system for a period of time, being able to secrete the neurochemical in their saliva, etc. Vampires sired by pureblooded more often than not come out quite normal too. Vampires sired by the non-pureblooded, however, sometimes come out wrong. The most common thing that goes wrong is the secretion of neurochemical. The thin-blooded running rampart in the Earth Kingdom often left a bloody mess when they fed, hence wrongly advertising the cruel and gory nature of the vampires.

The second most common occurrence is the permanent fanged face, like what Captain Zhu Jang is suffering from. Strangely, Zao that he sired turned out fine.

Grunting, the captain drowned his tankard of bitter ale in one large gulp, the clear brownish liquid dripping down the side of his mouth since his fangs made it impossible to use the tankard properly. He swore he did not have any malicious intent when he slammed the tankard to the ground and leaped across the table at Zao, pushing him and the tavern wench to the ground.

The Captain kept insisting that he did it because of the crossbow bolt that flew through the window and embedded itself on the table and how it would have pierced Zao's head had the Captain not pounced at him.

Similar thing happened at Komodo-Rhino Horn tavern at the dock, where Sang Min and Ru Yong were discussing about the merchant ship _Stagbull_ that had come into the dock and put up for sale by the marina. The captain was found murdered in the alley shortly after they landed –mugged, by the look of things-, and how his ship was impounded since he had no relatives or beneficiaries. A similar crossbow bolt with a message written on it flew in through the window and knocked Ru Yong's tankard off his hand.

And at Uncle Yam's, at Hidden Fangs BYOB (Bring Your Own Blood), at Sur Ching Booze House, at Broken Boarilla Bar, and pretty much every taverns, bars, and watering holes where freelance mercenaries, thugs, bounty hunters, and other sorts of insidious and nefarious characters hang out.

One single message was sent to all these people.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Fire Prince Ozai had slept late that night; he had to listen to his wife nagging about their daughter. He had had to deal with his father and his meticulous demand of perfection, his nephew and his crazy antics, his own high standard regarding his contribution to the war effort before that, so much that he had to miss the dinner with his children at the eve of their arrival and he even had to sleep in a guest room in the Royal Wing since they had to resume their meeting early in the morning.

He was hoping to kick back and relax and, perhaps if Agni permits, to have some since it had been awhile. Instead, he had entered his room to find Ursa clouded in a gloom atmosphere which he took as the sign that their children had arrived. Ozai himself had lost track of time and would have raced to greet his children had it not been in the middle of the night when he adjourned to his own room.

Ursa had kept him awake with her nagging and grousing about their daughter. Azula didn't even look me in the eye, she had said; she wouldn't stick around me, Ursa had said; Azula nearly killed a boy who was flirting with her, she had reported; Azula's been avoiding me, she said.

He had tried his luck and tried to be the dominant one; Ursa had whipped him with her firebending and called him an insensitive hog-monkey. Morning had come and Ursa awoke before him, apparently waiting for him to wake up so she could nag some more. Seriously, Ozai thought, he was under the impression that being married means he could get laid whenever he wanted.

So far, his marriage had been quite… good. Ursa was a great wife, a good mother, and, as he often whispered into her ears during their love making sessions, an even better lover. Sighing, Ozai decided that he had enough. In the middle of listening to Ursa recounting the way Azula acted during last night's dinner for the fifth time, he simply jumped at her and ripped her robe off and proceeded to ravish her thoroughly.

In the middle of him pounding into his wife, Ursa took charge and Ozai was glad he married her.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula woke up slowly with the sun. Gradually, the sensation on the surface of her bare skin returned; her smooth silk blanket and bed sheet, the pillow under her head, and the warmth of his skin on her back and around her waist and legs. A faint smile graced the Princess' face as she reached down to the pair of arms holding her gently, tracing her dainty fingers on the well-toned lean muscle on the forearm. Her finger stopped at the long gash that felt soft, on the back of his hand between his thumb and index finger. Aligning her palm on the back of Lin's hand, the Princess stroked her thumb gently along the four centimeters scar.

Azula felt the chest at her back expanding as Lin took in the early morning air and woke up. His arms gripped Azula tighter and his hand took hers. Azula felt him pressing his face on the back of her head, exhaling warm breath into her hair. She could feel something hard and hot pressing against her butt cheek. _Firebenders _rise_ with the sun, alright_, she smirked.

"Morning, sleepyhead", he said, making the Princess smile.

"You're staying tonight", it was neither a request nor a question.

"I'm leaving tomorrow", Lin said into her hair, taking in a deep breath, savoring the comforting scent of the girl's hair.

"You can just send someone, you know", Azula groused a bit.

"Can't", Lin cleared his throat and straightened up; Azula rolled around and turned to him, suddenly felt very naked as she tugged the blanket on her chest higher. "I have to get my sword back. I can't let anyone do this for me; it's a family heirloom", Lin said, looking down at Azula who was absentmindedly tracing along one of the several scars on his front. There was a large thickened slash on his upper chest, on the left side, and a round puncture scar on the left side of his abdomen, and many more smaller, less significant, and fading scars.

Sighing, Azula snuggled into his chest; Lin welcomed the initial ticklish sensation of the Princess' hair rubbing on his skin, followed with the much appreciated warmth from where their skins met.

"Bring me back something", Azula huffed when she could not come up with anything.

Lin snickered.

Azula simply huffed again. "Dummy", she grumbled. "Oh, just in case you are still conflicted about your decision to waste your time in Shu Jing", she smirked as her hand went inside the blanket and down to his… thing, stroking the shaft and its skin that felt surprisingly soft in her hand. "Thanks for the late night snack", she slid down and started to systematically pleasure him orally.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"This doesn't help", Ursa grumbled, combing her long voluminous hair with her fingers and throwing it across her bare shoulder, whipping Ozai's face intentionally.

Sitting by the woman's side in the bed, back against the headboard, Ozai scoffed. "Speak for yourself; that was great for me."

"You were rough", Ursa commented sourly.

"Well", Ozai simply scoffed again as he turned to his wife, hands began feeling up on the woman's body under the blanket. "I can go gentler."

Now, it was Ursa who scoffed. "Yeah, right", she managed before Ozai claimed her lips and the rest of her.

_Overwhelming force, _Ursa thought_. That's who he is._

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula returned to her room with a pair of maids in tow. The latter were bearing a tray of a heavy breakfast meal each; one was bearing a bowl of rice, a bowl of spiced possum-chicken soup, a plate of honeyed grilled pork-venison, and a plate of spicy-sauced omelet; the other servant was carrying a pitcher of orange juice and an empty cup, and a plate of assorted slices of fresh fruit.

"Remember", Azula said with her usual high tone whenever she spoke with servants. "I do not want to be disturbed. I'm going to meditate all day in my room."

"Yes, Princess", the pair of maids curtsied and inclined their heads a little and walked to the round dining table in the room. They did their job expertly, knowing full well of the Princess' perfectionist tendency. Done with their work, they exited the room and went back to their post in the kitchen.

Azula closed the door behind them, bolting it and twisting the key in the keyhole. Just to be safe, she held out a palm and chanted several words of the long-lost language of Sun People. A layer of translucent energy pulsated over the surface of the door and Azula smirked at her work; no way her mother could barge in now.

She lazily walked to her bathroom, flipping her ponytail. She did similar gesture with her hand but it caused a layer of energy around the closed door to materialize instead and faded away like a burst bubble. Suddenly, Azula could hear the sound of drizzling water coming from inside it. She rapped her knuckle on the door, signaling Lin inside.

Lazily, the Princess sat on the side of her bed, playing with the sash of her nightrobe. Moments later, the sound of the shower disappeared and Lin's head popped from behind the door. "Where did my toothbrush go?"

"I threw it away", Azula shrugged lightly. "Mai and Ty Lee came over at some point and I didn't want to let them catch anything that has your scent."

"…Oh", Lin shrugged back.

"Just use mine", Azula said, prompting Lin to go back in but he left the door ajar.

Scoffing a little, Azula felt a bit light somewhat. She let her weight drag her down to the bed, lying sideway with her arms crossed still; she did that a lot. She almost let her sleepiness envelop her had Lin not come out several minutes later, clad in his simple pants and shirt; his armor and garb they had kept in a special hidden compartment Azula had carved out with a powerful magic that melts stone, sprayed with strongly fragrant vanilla oil –her favorite perfume to hide the scent-, and enchanted with a spell that obscure visual perception, making the wall appear normal and undisturbed. Lin was able to see through the enchantment only because Azula had used a drop of his blood in the process of the enchantment.

"What's wrong?" Lin asked; Azula narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't use my words against me", she warned although she willingly snuggled closer into his arms. "Breakfast's ready."

"Wanna eat now?" Lin asked back, tucking one of Azula's bangs behind her ear and stroking the side of her face gently.

"Too tired, can't walk", Azula whined like a little girl, smirking.

"Lazy bum", Lin playfully hissed, circling his arms over the Princess' torso while the girl linked her arms on his neck. Lin sat up and stood up easily as if the Princess cradled in his arms weighed nothing at all. Azula herself, with arms and legs linked for support and hugging the boy tight with her head resting on his shoulder, quite enjoyed being carried around. "Wanna sit?" Lin asked again as they arrived at the table. Azula grunted tiredly and straightened up and, looking at Lin's eyes, shook her head sleepily. Naturally, Lin just sat down with the Princess still on his lap.

"You have to eat", Lin said and Azula simply hugged his neck again, whining like a little girl.

"Come on", Lin goaded again. Azula huffed and turned around, purposefully jabbing Lin's side with her knee as she turned around. Resting her back on the boy's chest, she simply watched the pair of arms circling her petite frame, his hands reaching out for the rice bowl and the chopsticks.

"Say 'aah'", Lin smirked, turning to the Princess' head on the side of his, holding up a clump of warm rice with his chopsticks. Azula elbowed him a bit in the gut but opened her mouth anyway. She chewed slowly and swallowed. "There, I'm full."

"Yeah, right", Lin scoffed and picked up a piece of meat. Azula let him feed her that before she claimed the bowl and chopstick and filled her mouth with a couple of scoop. She sat up and picked up a piece of meat. She fed it to the boy and made him eat pretty much half the bowl.

"I'll have the soup later", Azula said, knowing full well what was in his mind. "Oh, and I told the maids I'll finish these all."

At the Princess' sly smirk, Lin said witheringly. "You're mean."

"Oh…?" Azula pouted innocently, setting down the bowl and picking up a triangle-cut piece of mango, nibbling the edge while looking adorably innocent.

"Mean."

Azula tore the piece of fruit in half and fed him a piece of it.

"Still mean."

Azula fed him the last piece, licking the juice off her fingers afterwards while waiting for Lin's response.

"Still mean."

Smirking, she cleared her throat and bit her lower lip to prevent herself from laughing. Playfully, she wrapped her fingers on the hems of her silken nightrobe, the only article of clothing she was wearing along with her trousers, and enticingly pulling them apart to show more of the creamy white skin of her chest and her heavenly cleavage.

"Less mean… but still a bit— don't stop, please…"

Azula stopped, feeling the soft garment sliding off her left shoulder. "Dummy…"

And they resumed eating…a different kind of course entirely.

Fire Lady Illah had spotted Azula's talent in Ancient Magic quite early and had started educating the girl in the many aspects of the mysterious art ever since the girl was a kid; to utilize the time they had while they waited for Azula to grow physically until she got big enough to learn firebending and combat skills, the Fire Lady had said. Azula herself had grown to be quite an accomplished enchantress and the spell she had put on the door was a rather sophisticated double-layered spell of two different enchantments woven together. The first spell locked the door magically and the second muffled the sound, effectively making the chamber soundproof.

So, no one could walk in on them and Azula could be as loud as she wanted to be. Lying on her back in her bed, with her nightrobe shed open and her trousers all but discarded, worn only on one bent leg, she still tried to make no sound out of habit and stubbornness. Lin was hovering on top of her, propping in his elbows, kissing her passionately. Azula hold him gently, tugging the sleeves of her robe between her clenched fingers on his back, she let the boy savor her lips.

They broke off and Lin gazed into the soft tender eyes of the Princess.

Noticing the unasked question, the Princess instinctively brought her hands to her chest and the edge of her sleeve to her mouth, chewing her lip.

She shook her head slightly and Lin understood. Azula knew he understood. They were not going go all the way.

Lin leaned down and kissed her again. Gradually, he slid down to her chest, to her breasts. He kissed the right one and fondled the other, taking the Princess' pinkish brown nipple into his mouth, gently stroking with his tongue and sucking, feeling it hardened in his mouth and enjoying the gasp and light moan from Azula that sounded no less than musical to him. His fingers going down and carefully stroking the edge of her clit played quite a major role.

The Princess clamped one of her hands, loose sleeve and all, on her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut as the surge of physical pleasure invaded her system; though unnecessary at these occasions, Azula's controlling dominating nature dictated that she maintained a certain level of control. Being pretty much naked and not on top is about as submissive and demure as she allowed herself to be. Well, that and the occasional times Lin pinned her wrists down and that one time when they misused Azula's sash.

A deviant squeak escaped her lips and she clamped her other hand down. She felt cold bursts of air on her wet nipple, registering it as Lin's snicker. _He wins_, Azula grumbled in her mind, less than reluctant to admit it; not when she was being pleasured in such a way.

And when Lin finally made his way down there, his hands gripping the sides of her thighs, Azula involuntarily jerked, arching her back as her hips bucked; Lin's tongue teased the opening of her womanhood, the tip of her clit, stroking and probing, exploring. Pleasing.

She could not help it; she let out her gasp and moan and she noticed how it riled Lin even more. Her hips jerked but Lin held her down. She felt hot and she gripped her bed sheet tight, feeling how awfully thin and slippery the clump of cloth in her grip was. Azula whipped her head to the side, breathing hard.

The Princess let out a soft cry as orgasm claimed her. She rode the waves as the feeling spread across her, sweeping her over, and died down gradually. Still hard on the breathing, she felt the bed shift as Lin went up and lay by her side, holding her limp jelly-like body gently.

"Still mean", Lin muttered, kissing Azula's cheek.

Chuckling slightly, Azula rolled around and held him back, draping one limp leg on his hip, and linking her arms on his neck, feeling the brush of her almost-discarded nightrobe on her arms and back, she kissed him gently on the mouth, her tongue met his, sharing the taste of her juice between them.

"Now?"

"Still mean."

And they kissed again.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"This is very immature", Ursa grumbled, lying on her back with a blanket pulled over her chest. "And this _doesn't_ help at all!" _even if you _did_ go gentler_…

Ozai simply smirked and repeated what he had said before as he held the woman's waist. "Speak for yourself", he embraced the grumbling woman, hands running over the softness of her skin that he loved so much. Lifetimes of marriage and two children had only refined her beauty in Ozai's eyes, adding more definition to her curves, rounded her hips and breasts, adding more mature charm to her. "And immature? Really? Is that what you want to tag what we've just did?"

Ursa glared at him, sulking; Ozai could not help but snickered at the resemblance it had with Azula's pout.

"Stop that", Ursa tried to push him away but Ozai was an overwhelming force. "Stop…" she heaved, struggling under the heavy frame of her husband pressing down on her. "This is really immature…"

"Shh", Ozai shushed, pressing his lips on hers. "Why not have another child", he offered, smirking. "Another daughter. Maybe you'll get it right this time."

Ursa narrowed her eyes sharply at him. "And who says I didn't with Azula?"

Ozai simply smirked again and took her. Curiously, Ursa found herself not minding the treatment.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"I want us to stay like this forever", Azula suddenly said and regretted it. She looked away, feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable all of a sudden.

Lin, holding the Princess in his arm, lying on his back with the girl draping on him, held her hand on his chest before it escaped. Her hand was timidly gripping the edge of her sleeve and Lin stroked her fingers with his.

"There's a spell that stops and even reverses aging", Azula muttered, staring at their joined hands, the side of her head pressing down on Lin's chest, listening the sound of his heartbeat. "It's a bit complicated; need some difficult ingredients –a tuff of phoenix feather, a gram of dragon tooth powder, a bunch of rare red sunflower, and more- and it's going to take a lot of energy but I can try it", she looked up. "Please."

"Azula, you know how I feel about this", Lin sighed but smiled kindly.

"You might be able to control your ability if you're a vampire", she used her whiny voice.

"No", Lin mouthed.

Azula huffed, sitting up. She fixed her robe and turned her frown to the boy, sulking.

"Dummy."

-B-L-O-O-D-

_Creak… creak… creak…_

"…"

_Creak… creak… creak… creak…_

Ursa bit down her lips, aching back and instinctively moved her hips along.

_Creakcreakcreakcreak!_

She moaned and screamed; Ozai's name escaped her lips. She felt her husband pounding into her harder. Faster… Ursa felt him discharged inside her. Heaving himself, the large man slumped down on her.

"You need to stop this", Ursa growled despite her exhaustion. "This _really_ doesn't help."

"You talk too much", Ozai whispered to her ear, grinning.

"We've been going on for the whole morning", Ursa snapped when Ozai, instead of getting up, began to dry hump her. "Aren't you tired?" she muttered witheringly; she herself was exhausted and her back and hips were killing her. "Don't you at least need to hydrate?"

She regretted saying that the moment Ozai sunk her fangs on her shoulder; the short moment of intense pain was soon replaced by strange dark pleasure and comfort that spread through her but she knew better and felt the artificiality of the sensation.

"There", Ozai emerged and smirked with blood dripping from his mouth. "Now, shall we go again?"

Ursa gave him a dry look. She dabbed the blood on the man's chin and let him lick it off her finger.

"No."

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Can I get up?" Lin asked the Princess who was lying horizontally with her head on his chest.

Azula, resting her head on his chest, staring at the top layer of her four-poster bed, sighed coldly. "No", she slapped the hand that was trying to molest her breast.

Crossing her arms on her chest, she turned a little to the boy. Lin simply smiled absentmindedly, gazing at nothing in particular while playing with Azula's hair. Azula tried to read his expression; few people, vampires and humans, she could not read well and Lin was one of those few. That was why she liked… loved… _well, whatever it is_, him.

Sighing again, feeling the rise and fall of her chest under her arms, she broke her gaze and held up her left hand. She wore the golden ring on her index finger. Flexing her fingers, she inspected the twin dragon engravings and the star-shaped blood ruby centerpiece on the part where they mouth met.

"Tell me about this ring", she said. "I can feel some sort of enchantment."

"It's Blood Ruby", Lin explained, shifting a bit to have a better view of her.

"I know it is", Azula replied condescendingly; Fire Nation knows their gemstones.

"No, I meant it's _Blood_ Ruby", Lin cleared his throat. He took the hand gently and rubbed the velvety soft skin of the Princess. "It has the ability to absorb and store Life Blood. Took it from some Earth Kingdom warlock; vampire, he had this wicked spell that allows him to shatter stone."

"I can do that", Azula huffed a bit and Lin scoffed.

"Sure you can", Lin cooed, pinching her cheek lightly. "Anyway, this warlock… boy, he was one tough bastard. I sniped him on the spine from afar."

"Coward."

"I hired a group of muscle to distract him", Lin reminisced. "He used a lot of powerful spells and yet he did not dry up; I was counting on that. That's when I realized he must have something on him. I checked his body after I killed him and found the ring. The stone…" he tapped the ruby. "…was absorbing his spilt blood like sponge when I found it. I asked around and learnt that the stone can absorb blood and transform liquid blood into pure auric Life Blood. There's a spell to activate it. My source doesn't know it but considering it's a vampiric artifact, I'd imagine it to be some sort of Ancient Language."

"_Asrj_", Azula said.

"Bless you", Lin replied.

Azula smacked his gut lightly. "The word is '_asrj'_, you dolt."

"Asrij?"

"No. _Asrj_."

"Asirij?"

"Know what? You're no vampire, hence not a magic user. Let's forget that", Azula smirked slyly. "Unless…"

"No! What's the matter with you?" Lin snapped. "You know I want to stay human until my duty as a Whispered is done."

"Why are you yelling at me…?" Azula mimicked a scared whine. "Stop… You're scaring me…"

Lin gave Azula the driest stare he could manage despite his inside melting at her cute expression. "Oh, come one. We both know you're not afraid of anything."

"Not true", Azula replied, back to her usual self. She went sad and sincere as she added. "I'm afraid of losing you…"

Lin narrowed his eyes at her.

"Having vampire powers can only be helpful to you", Azula reasoned, her tone sad. "I only want what's best for you."

"…You don't really think I'm gonna fall for that, right?"

Azula inhaled sharply and sighed. "No", she said, back to her usual self. "But, my logic stands: vampiric powers, helpful; being a stick in the mud, not helpful. Are you really doubting my sincerity?"

Lin stared into the bright amber of the Princess before sighing deeply. "I don't know", he confessed. "You're a… an enigma…"

"That's a compliment, I hope", Azula frowned.

"You're confusing sometimes", Lin tried to find the right words. "Well… maybe not confusing. You're…" he held up a hand and slowly grip, as if trying to grab the idea forming in his head like it was an abstract thing. "You're… _deep_. Nothing is as it seems with you", Lin smiled suddenly. "You make my life interesting."

Azula's brows quirked for a brief moment before she frowned again, scowling a little. "It's not fair", she said. "You always know what to say when I'm mad at you. Take off your pants now."

"Yay!" Lin squealed as Azula sat up, undressed and threw her robe away.

But, as Azula gave him the blowjob like three times in a row, he soon realized it was also a sort of punishment for doubting her sincerity.

Nothing is at it seems, Lin reminded himself yet again as the Princess licked and sucked his strained organ.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"We really should get up", Ursa said as she twirled Ozai's long goatee and made no move to get up. "It's past lunchtime and we don't want to miss precious time with the children."

Ozai simple scoffed, stroking Ursa's hair as she lay in his arms. "Zuko sleeps all day like some lazy hobo when he's not spending time in that gloomy girl's house while Azula hounds Lu Ten about firebending training or locks herself in her room studying", he kissed the top of the woman's hair. "Trust me, we're not missing much."

"They grow up so fast", Ursa lamented. "Feels just like last century when Zuko would come crying because Azula picked on him, or Azula come to us crying because she couldn't find Lu Ten anywhere."

Ozai snickered. "What do we used to call it? Circle of Crying?"

"_Chain_ of Crying", Ursa smiled fondly. "Hmm… maybe having another child is not such a bad idea", she looked up to Ozai. "But, I want a girl."

To this, Ozai simply scoffed again. "Oh, sure. You did well with Zuko and not as well with Azula, and you want a girl."

"Shut up", Ursa grumbled, getting up and climbing the man, straddling him. "My womb, my decision. Besides, I'm the one who's going to do the heavy lifting; you're just here for the fun part."

-B-L-O-O-D-

"It's noon", Azula said, stroking the heaving head that was draping on her shoulder. She herself was as cool as cucumber.

"You're so mean", Lin gulped, feeling numb between the legs.

Azula turned to him and gave him the sad eyes. "I thought you liked it…" she said quietly. "Okay, then… I won't do it ever again…"

Lin looked up and narrowed his eyes at her. "See? _Mean_."

Azula rolled around to hide her smirk. Lin snuggled up to her, pressing all of him towards her. "Mean. Meanie, meanest, mean."

"Shh… I want to sleep. I'm spent", Azula smirked.

"Oh", Azula could feel his smirk on the back of her head. "Too spent for this?" and she could definitely feel his hand slowly tracing down from her waist to her pelvis and visited her womanhood. Azula let out an involuntary squeak and her whole body twitched when he went to the most sensitive spot without any preamble.

"Stooop iiitt!" she half-giggled, half-whined.

"Nope", Lin snickered, kissing her jaw, making her wince. "Payback time."

"Stoooop…" Azula was positively whining as the electricity surged through her body from the touch. "Stop it or I'll cry!"

"Oh, come on. We both know you don't cry", Lin did not stop. But, then, he did not really get a good look at the Princess' face lying behind the girl. He could only see her left fist on the side of her head, covering her eye, her shoulder trembling, and hear the mewling sound that did sound like crying. "Hey… Azula?"

As Lin's hand left her sensitive spot, quickly, Azula grabbed a fistful of blanket and clamped it between her legs. "Stupid", she turned a bit and poked her tongue childishly at him. In retaliation, Lin just kissed her.

"You know", Lin started, snuggling closer as Azula turned back, smiling. "We may not be able to go all the way, on account of it being indecent…"

"Stupid society."

"…against the Law of the Nation…"

"Stupid rule."

"…and me not being a vampire."

"Stupid you."

"But", Lin cleared his throat again, pressing even closer. "Maybe, you know, we can… well, go the _other_ way?"

And as Azula felt his thing prodding between her butt cheeks, she turned a bit, shot him a sharp glare and lifted up her index and middle fingers that were charged with blue tendrils of electricity. "Don't even think about it."

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Who are you going to name her?" Ursa asked wishfully from her husband's arms.

"Why are you so sure it's going to be a girl?" Ozai asked, rubbing circles on her back.

"A hunch", Ursa snickered.

"You know", Ozai whispered. "For all we know, it's not—"

"No", Ursa said coldly. And yet, when the man mounted her once more, though she was exhausted and realized she was using up precious time that she could have used for Azula, she could not mind very much. "I need more self-respect."

-B-L-O-O-D-

"I need more self-respect", Azula sighed.

Lin emerged from under her blanket. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Nothing, get back down there", Azula pushed the top of his head down and she started enjoying herself again.

The thought did not left her mind thought. Even after they had done and she was watching Lin taking some food from the dining table after she had decided that she was hungry. "Don't forget the chili sauce."

"Of course, Your Highness", Lin faked a polite bow; well, as polite as he could be clad only in his shorts, carrying the jug of orange juice and plates of meat and fruit. He made his way back to the bed and placed the jug and glass on the nightstand. Climbing up with the food, kissing his Princess on the way, he picked up a piece of pineapple and fed it to the girl.

"I've decided what I want from Shu Jing", Azula said, dipping a piece of guava into the chili sauce. "I want a pet."

"Okay…" Lin drawled as he watched the girl devoured the piece of fruit. "First of all, that's nasty; you are one weird girl."

"Yeah, but I'm _your_ one weird girl", Azula cooed.

"Yeah, you are", Lin circled his free arm around the girl and squeezed her gently, making her giggle. "And second of all, a pet? Well, there is a pet shop near Master Piandao's. What do you want?"

"A dragon."

"…You do realize that the ownership of nearly extinct creatures like dragons is highly prohibited and nowadays you can only get dragon eggs in the black market, right?" Lin frowned.

"Not true", Azula frowned back. "When I was a kid, there were plenty of dragons and a lot of people ride them. Fire Lord Sozin had one. Great-Grandfather Roku has one; it's big and red and he took me flying on it once."

"And… how long ago was it…?" Lin drawled.

"…A thousand years ago, give or take a few centuries", Azula mumbled.

"Uh-huh", Lin picked up a piece of meat and bit it. "And even if I can find one, it's gonna cost an arm and a leg. Have you forgotten what I do for a living? I'm a government employee; I'm perpetually broke."

"So?" Azula pouted. "Back to what we discussed earlier; _you should let me turn you_. You're already a noble born. If you're a vampire too, you can start officially courting me and we can get married. In case if you've forgotten, I'm a Princess. I'm rich. I can be your sugar mommy."

"Aww", Lin glomped onto the Princess, resulting in a piece of slippery mango slipping off Azula's fingers and landing on the girl's bare chest. "I know you care about me", he smirked at Azula's annoyed expression. "Here", he said, slowly leaning down to the piece of fruit on the girl's chest and licked it off, ignoring Azula's giggle at his ticklish tongue.

_Darn it_, Azula thought. _He wins this one, too._


	7. Chapter 7 - Dinner

**Chapter 7 – Dinner**

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Zuko was awoken by the sound of his door slammed open. The sunlight hurt his eyes immensely but his leg worked just fine as his foot shot out and kicked the mass of flying figure pouncing at him on the snot.

"Little cousi—UFFFGH!"

Lazily, Zuko lay back down, pulling his blanket over his head. "Go eat dirt, Lu Ten."

"Well, _excuuuse_ me, Mr. Blood Flame Captain", Lu Ten picked himself up from the floor, nursing his nose. "Mr. Big Shot Blood Flame has no time for good ole Lu Ten no more. Have you forgotten who it was who changed your diapers when you were a kid?"

"Get lost", Zuko mumbled, his head hurting from the lack of sleep.

"You bring me back anything?" Lu Ten asked brightly, as bright as afternoon the sun shining through the door behind him. "Some of those famous Red Pearl Island's coconut toffee, mayhap?"

"No, get out", Zuko grumbled, grabbing a random pillow and burying his head under it.

"Oh, well", Lu Ten shrugged, tidying his robe. "I'm off to Azula's then. Lu Ten needs some love", he walked out of the room and stepped out with hands ready at the doorknob. "You know, with personality like that, I bet the girls will swarm all over you at the Autumn Light dance. The dark gruff pretty boy is on high demand at the moment", the older Prince slammed the door quickly but some part of the flame Zuko threw still made its way through the slit of the slamming door.

"Well", Lu Ten coolly brushed off a tiny flame on the right shoulder of his garb. "That went better than I expected."

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula breathed in the crisp autumn air, standing in the middle of the training ground, one the four located on the upper tier of the palace. Wide circular cobblestoned floor of the spacious balcony, with a large black and gold Fire Nation insignia on the middle, and railings around it; it was one of the private training ground reserved only for the members of the Royal Family. The secrets of the higher level of Ancient Magic and firebending techniques of the Royal Family had been preserved for millennia and they were not very keen on sharing them.

Clad in simple garb and trousers, hair up in her usual top-knot, Azula stepped into the ground and, from the shadow of the corner, Lin emerged. Trails of smoke-like shadow flared around his outline before settling onto his skin, the boy stepped towards Azula, smirking.

"Have I told you how I love this spell you taught me?" he managed before Azula rammed her fist onto his gut.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to use magic like that?" she snapped as the groaning boy doubled back from pain and leaned her way. "They're for emergency only. And stop molesting me!" for Lin had used the opportunity to bury his face on the girl's chest.

"Come on", Lin sniggered as he straightened up, grimacing still from pain. "You'll get wrinkle."

Azula simply glared at her.

Smiling, Lin stepped towards the Princess and hugged her. Azula hugged back and Lin noticed how she gripped onto his garb tightly. "I'm fine", he reassured the girl. "You did say that with ample amount of exercise, the strain will be reduced. Sort of like muscle memory, right?"

"Shut up", Azula grumbled, resting the side of her head on the boy's chest. She felt his chin pressing down on top of her head a bit and she tried not to take too much comfort from it. "Anyway", she cleared her throat and unlatched herself from him. "Did you get to do what I asked you to do?"

"Yup", Lin turned and walked farther a few steps. "The Republic Citizens' bendings are rather peculiar. They're weak."

"Weak?" Azula drawled.

"Yeah", Lin repeated, turning around to face the girl. "Weak but fast. Their movements are economical and the magnitudes of their elements are small and almost harmless. Still pack quite a punch though", Lin turned to the direction of the railing facing to the open air and punched several quick jabs he learnt from his short visit to the Republic City's famous Pro-Bending Tournament; small bursts of flame erupted from his fists. He tried a hook next and an arching fireball emerged. "They have better control though. I'd imagine their styles to be more effective for man-on-man fight. Their benders stand no chance against war machines or even mounted soldiers. I'd hazard a guess that heavy armor would put a damper on their effectiveness too."

"I see", Azula crossed one arm on her chest and her other hand tapped her chin, pondering. "We have several strongholds around the Republic City. I shall propose heavy infantries and armored cavalries. Oh, what about their kicks?"

"What kicks?" Lin scratched his head.

"Well, you know, kicking moves for bending", Azula kicked her foot a little for emphasis.

"Oh, the same. Weak but fast", Lin shrugged. Her jumped up and down a bit like boxer and delivered a flaming double spin kicks, sending two fire arcs. "Even for the earthbending, if you would believe it."

"What about weapons?" Azula asked again.

"More Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation than the rest", Lin reported. "But, I wouldn't worry too much. Their military relies heavily on benders. They do have Metalbending Police; law enforcers, earthbenders who bends metal. They wear metal armor and use metal cables as weapons quite proficiently."

"Metalbending, huh?" Azula smirked. "And metal armor, you say? Hmm… nothing a little lightning won't fix."

"Oh, and speaking of lightning", Lin perked up, giddily scrubbing his palms together like a little excited child; Azula could not help but smile. "Watch this!"

Lin exhaled, leaped forward a bit into a light stance and delivered a finger jab; Azula's quirked her brow as a tendril of lightning unexpectedly shot out from his fingertips.

"…oh, that is just _so_ wrong", Azula exasperated.

Lin grinned. "They found a way to replicate Lightning Generation", he said. "They used it in power plants to harness electric power. I lured one of the workers to a dark alley somewhere and made him teach me."

"Power plants…?" Azula frowned, imagining an anthropomorphic cactus with Lu Ten's face flexing its muscle.

Fire Nation, like the other three Nations, still clung to the traditional ways. The Republic City, strictly speaking, still part of the Fire Nation Colonies, had hoarded all the technological advancements like automobiles, electricity, and advanced medical expertise and held them as a bargaining chip against the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom to gain independence. The negotiation was still ongoing but both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom coveted such technologies despite the Republic City making it clear that they would not share it with any Nations before they were granted independence.

"I'll explain later", Lin said, grinning while rubbing the back of his neck. "Anyway, what do you think about the lightning?"

"Weak", Azula said flatly. She breathed in, making a gesture of pulling her palms up as her chest rose, and pressing them down as she breathed out. She went through the traditional circular motion of Lightning Generation and shot from her finger tips thick powerful lightning bolt that carried with it loud thunderclap. Lin felt the hair on the back of his neck standing up the moment the energy was released.

"Their lightning is like a spark from a pair of spark rock", Azula commented dryly. "Are you sure the person you learnt from is… or was..?" she smirked.

"Was", Lin grinned back.

"…_was_ proficient enough?" Azula continued. "For all you know, he was one of the bottom-feeders."

"Nah, I'm pretty sure it's about as strong as it comes", Lin waved it off. "There someone called Lightning Bolt Zolt, a gangster leader who's apparently a 'master'…" he made a quotation mark. "…of Lightning Generation. His lightning is about as powerful but he can produce it quite fast."

"Muscle memory", Azula muttered. "Inconsequential", she harrumphed, turning to face Lin. "Let me show you. Shoot me."

"…I'm sorry, _what_?" Lin gawked.

"Shoot me", Azula repeated nonchalantly. "With your lightning."

"Yeah… I'm not—"

"Shoot me."

"Look, others might like their girl extra crispy but I'm—"

"Shoot me."

"No", Lin crossed his arms stubbornly. Azula sighed and stepped closer to him. Tiptoeing, she whispered something into his ear. Lin's amber eyes went wide for a second before they narrowed. "You wouldn't…"

Azula simply smirked at him.

"B-but, you said you like it when I—", Lin stammered.

"True, true", Azula nodded slowly, crossing her arms. "But, if you don't shoot me with lightning, I will disallow such thing from happening again. Off-limit, no more, never again."

"You're mean", Lin grumbled. He fell into a stance but Azula, arms still crossed, simply took a tiny step back. Reluctantly, he separated the Yin and Yang of his chi, collided them, and sent the spark of energy out.

Almost lazily, Azula slapped the lightning away, deflecting the tendril of blue energy off like she was swatting a harmless fly, and the lightning hit the wall behind her, causing a cracked crater to appear on the stone wall. Azula smirked again as she inspected the smoky back of her left hand. "See that?" she asked, turning to the wall. "Now, watch this", she charged her lightning and shot at the spot beside the crater Lin made. Her lightning punched through the whole wall, crumbling the stone and still travelled through the sky where it disappeared.

"Whoa…" Lin breathed, walking up to the Princess' back and hugged her waist. "Teach me?"

"Hmm… No", she said, letting go of control as Lin pressed herself against him. "Royal Family secret firebending and all."

"So, I just have to marry you, right?" Lin smiled as he kissed her jaw. "That can be arranged."

Azula giggled as Lin gave her exposed neck an open-mouthed kiss.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Fire Lord Azulon waited for his Fire Lady to pour his tea. Such elegance and refinement in her movement, trained in hundreds of lifetime. He took his cup reverently and took a small sip of the scalding hot jasmine and pepper blend. He had to admit that Iroh and Ozai (despite the younger Prince's vehement denial) inherited their affinity towards tea from their mother.

"Something's troubling you, My Lord?" the Fire Lady asked as she set the teapot down. Always the sharp one, Azulon thought, looking into the wrinkled but dignified face of his wife. She might be old but her eyes shone still with the fire that he admired so. Her hair, tied into a feminine top-knot, was now silver and no longer charcoal black. Her face was marred with wrinkles and time but one glance and anyone would know that she used to be fiercely beautiful for the fierceness lingered still on her face. Azulon still admired her.

And, above all, he trusted her.

"I lost another Whispered", he confessed ruefully. "Zhang Wu."

"The mind reader?" Fire Lady Illah quirked her brows; her expression turned sad. "He will be missed."

"It is a great loss", Azulon lamented. Zhang Wu had served his cause for a long time and he was one of Azulon's best and most trusted knives in the dark. "I sent Ikem as his replacement."

"You shouldn't waste manpower, My Lord", Fire Lady Illah chided softly, knowing full well and sharing her husband's reservation towards the Whispered vampire assassin.

Azulon's reply was a non-committal grunt. He picked up the pendant Illah had set on their table in a padded box. The ancient Fire Lord inspected the serpentine engraving of the mounting that kept the large palm-sized fire ruby centerpiece. "Are you sure this is genuine?" he asked.

"I have checked the authenticity myself", Illah replied firmly. "It is real."

"And… about the intel Prince Zuko discovered from the ruins?" Azulon asked sharply.

"_Princess Azula_ discovered the intel, My lord", Illah corrected, also rather sharply. "I have tasked Head Librarian Nazak to investigate. I strongly believe we have a traitor in our midst", Illah took a slow sip from her cup before continuing. "Shall I… _double_ my effort, My Lord?"

Azulon held an urge to snort. His fifth-hundredth anniversary present to his Lady was a small army; a regiment of Imperial Firebenders, a battalion of heavy rhino cavalry, a company of Yu Yan Archers, and a platoon of Royal Assassin led by two retired Whispered captains. Illah adored her gift very much, rechristening the unit the Phoenix Guards and using them every chance she got. Every festivals and events held by the Royal Family had their security details spearheaded by the elite Guards and their distinctive Crimson armors and sash they wore across their chest.

And Fire Lady Illah especially adored her assassins. A platoon of forty highly trained female vampire assassins led by two Whispered Sisters who had survived their duties; one was a venomously beautiful woman who had the ability to entice a person's mind and the other was an Amazonian wild woman who could transform the skin of her arms and legs into a layer of iron-like scales and claws.

Azulon had first thought Illah's persistence of using her army was something akin to a child playing with toys. It was not until he saw for himself the dedication her wife put in every arrangement, every shadow game she played and won, that the Fire Lord noticed Illah's apparent talent in these kinds of thing. Illah, in his opinion, was a war general trapped in a woman's body.

Illah had more real use of her assassins. She had sent them as spies to the many great noble houses to keep them in line. Her assassins had thwarted many conspiracies by providing intel and striking the heart of the would-be rebellions multiple times in the long reign of Fire Lord Azulon. The existence of Fire Lady Illah's personal assassin army is still a matter of debate as some believe it was just a rumor to disparage her already bloody reputation.

But, the Red Rose was real. Fire Lady Illah's personal army of female assassins.

The Fire Lady snapped her fingers and two kneeling Roses appeared out of crimson-colored puffs of mist. Clad in bright red battledress –metal-pated fingerless bracers with rose engraving, breastplate that covered only the breasts, upper abdomen, shoulders and neck while showing quite a portion of their cleavage, pauldron on their upper arms, exposed midriff, short battle skirt with plates of red metal sewn on it, and a pair of metal-plated leather kneepads and Fire Nation boots, and their enigmatic see-through cherry-blossom pink sari across their chest, hooding their heads and veiling heir faces, knotted around their waist, and trailing down their legs- the two veiled assassins inclined their heads reverently.

"Zhang Ling, Wen Zi", Fire Lady Illah addressed them without turning from her cup. "There might have been a theft in the Imperial Library. Investigate this."

"Yes, Fire Lady", the two female assassins bowed and disappeared into twin puffs of red mist.

"You shan't need to worry, My Lord", Fire Lady Illah reassured the Fire Lord once more. "I'll get into the bottom of this."

Fire Lord Azulon smirked as he stroked his beard. "Just make sure your girls don't cause too much damage, eh?"

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula walked tiredly across the hallway around an indoor lawn, still poised with dignity though. She was in the middle of loosening her armband when something red jumped out of the bushes and, to her slow response's chagrin, hugged her tightly.

"Baby cousin!" Azula heard Lu Ten exclaimed in the middle of being crushed around the torso and lifted off the ground. "Welcome back!"

Calmly, she craned her neck down where her right finger jab was charging small lightning; she tasered her cousin on the ribs, causing the Prince to release her as he suffered a series of spasm and fell on the ground twitching.

"Why, hello, Cousin Lu Ten", Azula poked the twitchy mass with the tip of her boot; her voice and eyes grew icy cold as she accused. "You promised you'd welcome me home. Liar…"

"Eh… sorry?" Lu Ten grinned as he picked himself up and dusted his garb. Spreading his arms wide, he grinned wider. "Now, give Lu Ten a hug."

Still grumbly, Azula stepped into the boy's embrace. Lu Ten, however, stiffened up and broke off the hug roughly. Holding the girl at arm's length, he sniffed like a hound. "You smell off."

Azula's lips parted in an offended manner. "_Excuse me_!"

Lu Ten sniffed the air around the girl harder, making her cringe in his grip.

"Stop that, weirdo!" Azula nearly shrieked, overwhelmed with oogies.

Lu Ten gasped horrifically. "I smell boys!"

"Oh, first you said I smell and now you're calling me a boy?!" Azula struggled under the Prince's iron grip.

"Don't try to misdirect me!" Lu Ten snapped. "Tell me, who is he?!"

"What _he_?" Azula screamed back furiously.

"Oh, Agni… please tell me it's not that Chan kid! He's a wuss! You're too good for him!" Lu Ten griped. "You are _not_ ready for a boyfriend!"

"I don't have a boyfriend!" Azula snapped back, finally breaking free. Scowling, she balled her fists, trying her best to quell her anger. If Lin was one of the few who could break her defenses, Lu Ten would be another one. Azula might have drilled herself to guard her emotions, to never show any of them unnecessarily, as she had learnt from the many losses she had experienced in her long life. But, around Lin or Lu Ten, especially Lu Ten, it was easy for her to be… _real_.

"Are you sure?" Lu Ten did not seem convinced. "I swear, I can and _will_ ask Fire Lady Illah to perform a virginity test on you."

That does it. Azula turned beet red and could feel fire bubbling in the pit of her stomach. "You… wouldn't…" she growled dangerously.

Lu Ten let out a condescending laugh. "Hah! Try me…"

"Fire Lady Illah wouldn't even consider your accusation", Azula narrowed her eyes sharply. "I'm her favorite."

"Oh, she will do it if I ask, baby cousin", Lu Ten puffed his chest proudly, jabbing his thumb there. "Because _I'm_ her favorite."

"Nuh-uh, you're _not_ her favorite."

"Yuh-huh, I am so her favorite."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yuh-huh."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yuh-huh."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh!"

"Look up", Azula said suddenly, pointing at the ceiling.

"What" Lu Ten stupidly looked up.

Azula punched him in the throat and walked away, huffing.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Lin was in the middle of arranging his pieces of armor on Azula's bed while snacking on Azula's secret stash of fire flakes when Azula suddenly barged in, slammed the door behind her, bolted and locked it, and cast like fifteen different spells on it. Huffing, she turned to Lin and froze briefly at the sight of Lin who himself was frozen in the middle of stuffing a handful of fire flakes into his mouth.

"I can explain", Lin began.

Azula's jaw hardened a bit but she strode to the boy quickly and pecked him on the lips. "Yuck… sweet chili?" she backed away, wiping her mouth. "Take it", she picked up the bag of fire flakes and shoved it along with his neatly placed breastplate, pauldron, and other pieces of armor to his chest. "You have to leave."

"Um, okay?" Lin frowned, holding his armor and a few more bags of sweet chili flavored fire flakes that Azula took out from the hidden compartment in her headboard in his arms, chewing the leftover flakes in his mouth. "What's wrong? I thought you wanted me to stay."

"I do", Azula grumbled, looking around for more of Lin's stuff. "But, Lu Ten's on to me. You have to leave. Come back here after dinner. You still have your room in the Palace, right?"

"Yeah, why—", Lin was cut short by the Princess ramming into him lips first. It was as passionate a kiss could go in Lin's opinion and the whole experiences, sadly, had to be marred by Azula ending it and, walking to her nightstand, taking out a breath freshener and using it, and chugging down about five mint candies. "Okay, that's insulting."

"Hmm?" Azula looked up innocently but went back to her nightstand. Chewing her candies, she took out her bottle of perfume and sprayed it all over the bed and the room.

"What are you saying exactly?" Lin said flatly.

"You know what this is", Azula grumbled, moving in to kiss him again. Lin did not mind the spicy minty taste and excess saliva in her kiss.

"Of course, I know", Lin grinned as they broke off. "I'll see you tonight? I might be a bit late, okay. I have to prepare for tomorrow and all."

"Okay", Azula said quietly. "Now, go."

Swiftly, while Lin jumped out the window, the Princess went on to tidying up her tussled up clothes and hair, went to her bathroom to burn her toothbrush and towel that Lin had used, setting up new ones while at it, and jumped back to her bed, picking up a random book from her nightstand and opened it on her lap, absolutely sure Lu ten would not detect any scent that Lin might have left behind on her room or her person.

Casting a quick look at the opened window where Lin had gone off through, she cleared her throat and regulated her breath. There was a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something. She ignored it almost instinctively.

Oh, the incredulity of such notion. She forgot something, pfft! She was _Azula_. She was royal and perfect, high and mighty, she was brilliant, intellectual. She was perfection personified, a talent of prodigal nature, she—

—THUD—

…_BZZZZTTT_…

…_BOOM_…

"AARRGGHH!"

—forgot to undo the enchantments on the door.

Cursing under her breath, the Princess jumped out of her bed and raced to the door. Patting her hair to neaten it, she calmly undid the enchantments and opened it to an extra crispy Lu Ten who had his hand frozen at the door knob and smoking from head to toe; his expression was priceless.

"Why did you place so many dangerous enchantments on the door?!" the boy scolded as soon as he made himself look more representable in Azula's bathroom.

"Well, I'm just being careful", Azula pouted, using her whiny voice, keeping her eyes at her shuffling feet as she sat uncomfortably on her bedside, under her cousin's stare. "After what happened with Chan. What if someone barge into my room and do the things that you told me no boys should ever do to me?"

Lu Ten opened his mouth to reply but fell short; Azula looked up to him with those puppy-dog eyes of her and he just melted inside.

"Don't do that", Lu Ten steeled himself. He just knew that even if Azula grew into a wrinkled old lady, her puppy-dog eyes would never stop working on him.

"Do what?" Azula asked, jutting out her lower lip.

"Stop it!" Lu Ten looked away painfully; felt like he had just removed a stake from his heart. "Just get ready for dinner."

"Okay… don't be mad at me…" Azula said sadly. "*sniff*"

"Aww, baby cousin", Lu Ten finally melted. "How can I be mad at you?" he knelt and let the girl embrace him. Then, his nose caught something off. "You put on too much perfume, don't you think?"

"But, you just said I smell", Azula sulked.

Then, their earlier encounter came back to Lu Ten's mind. "There was a boy here, wasn't it?!" he stood up suddenly, almost dragging up Azula who still held her arms around his neck. "Where is he?!" he looked around with a hungry expression in his amber eyes. "Did he do something to you?! Because if he so much looked at you indecently…" he growled, snapping a fire whip in his right hand while his face changed into the fanged form.

"There's no one here, dumb-dumb", Azula sat, crossing her legs daintily, inspecting her nails. "And, before you asked, I don't have a boyfriend", which was true, Azula thought. She had never addressed Lin as her boyfriend.

"AHA!" Lu Ten pointed a sharp accusing finger at the girl's nose. "You brought up boyfriend randomly! You _do_ have a boyfriend!"

Azula narrowed her eyes sharply at the older Prince. Really, she loved her cousin. She often wished the fun, free-spirited Lu Ten was her brother instead of the sourpuss Zuko. She even held him in such high regard, she had never and would never lie to him (completely).

But, sometimes, she wanted nothing more but wringing Lu Ten's neck with a length of garroting wire.

"Get out of my room", Azula growled dangerously; she did not have enough sleep the previous night, her time with Lin was being cut short, and, so far, she still had not enjoyed her time back yet. She was _so_ not in the mood for this.

"Just promise me you don't have any boyfriend", Lu Ten moved in to hug the Princess again, pressing the girl's head on his protective chest like he often would when Azula was little.

"I'm not a kid anymore", Azula grumbled, fighting the urge to hug back.

"That's what I'm worried about, baby cousin", Lu Ten sighed so very deeply, stroking the girl's head gently. "Look, Azula, just because you've grown boobs, doesn't mean you're ready for boyfriend. In fact, the fact that—"

He did not quite finish that sentence.

Fire Prince Lu Ten, trained personally by the famed Dragon of the West and Fire Lord Azulon whenever the latter was able to find time in between his busy schedule, was a master firebender. After all, ever since Fire Prince Iroh abdicated his birthright, and Ozai made a blunder of himself for the misfortune of not being in the Palace when Kyoshi the Earth Giantess attacked, and hence losing his credibility in the eyes of the noble houses, Lu Ten, who himself nearly lost his life in the defense against the Kyoshi Warriors, had been hailed as a hero by the noble houses and the citizens and was the obvious choice for the heir apparent after Iroh abdicated.

Fire Prince Lu Ten was one of the most dangerous firebenders in history. He possessed the overwhelming power of his father and the cunning fighting style of his grandfather, and he himself being a natural intellect was an unpredictable fighter.

And yet, like any warrior out there, he fell victim to the one kind of opponent no warrior could win against: the opponent that he could not permit himself to hurt.

Fire Prince Lu Ten was a bruised sooty singed mass of ruined red lying on the doorstep by the time his baby cousin Azula was done with him.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Lin knew he would never get used to this place.

Located deep under the Fire Nation Royal Palace, among the intricate maze that made up the secret underground bunker, was a special block that not many knew about. Rocks, jagged rocks everywhere; that was the first thing Lin hated about it. He was born and raised a nobleman; he was more comfortable with flat, smooth, preferably carpeted floor.

The second thing was the fact that the whole place is underground. The smell of damp earth and rock was not something he would consider charming. He much preferred the smell of trees, forest, and leaves; his family estate was located at the foot of the Caldera, surrounded by thick vegetation.

And then, there was the fact that the whole place reeked with death. His room was carved into the wall, like the others really. A simple space with a bed on the far side, which was really a rectangular tub filled with a fitting bed, with one pillow and a simple blanket, a desk of which was really slabs of carved rock, and a wooden chair, and on one side of the wall was a carved rectangular hole with a beam fitted horizontally on top that worked as a wardrobe.

His room was plain and really not meant to be inhabited for a long period of time; they have a communal bathroom, for Agni's sake.

And the whole place really reeked of death. The only way things changed around here is only if death was somehow involved. His neighbors disappearing, they were dead, killed in action; new people arriving, they would kill soon or be killed eventually, more deaths.

His next door neighbor was dead, he noticed; they put a small crimson rose at the doorstep. That was the sign. Lin did not know him well; a middle-aged man, human like him, but not a Whispered, named Zaro. Good man, Lin reminisced. When he first arrived here, Zaro and another guy named Zee were the first who welcomed him and showed him the rope. Zee had died the week after that.

Death… the whole place reeked of it.

Getting ready with his short letter and his stuff prepared –his weapons, knives, throwing knives, his armor, and the moon steel jian he had to bring to Shu Jing-, he exited the room. He traveled light always, a habit he learnt from his father the war general and then his tenure as an assassin. He carried a set of change of clothes only, some medicine and bandages, included in it a vial of powdered blood (he learnt from experience), and a couple bags of the many sweet chili flavored fire flakes Azula had shoved into his arms earlier that day.

The boy snickered at them. The whole place, the whole room was dark and dim, even the lighting was barely adequate and cast a lot of shadow in the room. The sight of the red paper bags of the flaky snack was a welcomed sight.

Shoving one more of bag into his traveling satchel, Lin made his way out, taking his robe from his chair and draping it over his shoulder.

Dark and dim and damp; no place for a flame to flicker.

-B-L-O-O-D-

He had slept the whole day, Zuko knew that. But, when Azula barged into his room and hit his head under the blanket with a pillow, Zuko still felt that he deserved some more sleep.

"Wake up", Azula ordered flatly.

Zuko grumbled and cringed into a fetal position, hugging a pillow in front of him without waking up. He felt the chill air and sunlight (_Dang, it's not night yet_, he cursed in his mind) when Azula tugged the blanket away roughly.

"Get up!" she commanded him like he was one of the servants. Naturally, Zuko mumbled harshly and buried his head under a pillow.

"Get up!" Azula said again, hitting him yet again with a pillow but on his unprotected back this time.

"Get lost!" Zuko barked but made no move whatsoever.

"Get up, Zuzu", Azula exasperated. "What are you, a bat-wolf. Get up!"

"Just go away, Azula!" Zuko snapped back.

Azula narrowed her eyes at her brother sharply. She looked around and her eyes fell upon the ornamental double dao hanging above the bed; too high for her too reach. She had to climb onto the bed but she was wearing her boots and she was averse to wearing footwear in bed. Only barbarians do that in her mind.

Half-lidded amber eyes found the sheathed conjoined twin dao reigning on the pedestal on the desk at the foot of the bed and Azula went for it instead. She drew the single heavy blade and poked Zuko on the butt with it. Being in a fetal position made the Prince's rear an easy target.

"OWW! Azula, that's dangerous!"

"We need to deal with this Lu Ten problem", Azula said right away, tapping the edge of the sword lightly and ignoring Zuko's pain; she turned her stare to her brother sharply. "It's time we initiate Plan Get-Lu-Ten-Off-My… ahem, I mean, _Our_-Backs. He has just plucked my last nerve."

"You need a better sense of naming", Zuko got up and rubbed his tired eye; the good eye, the unscarred one. He needed a set of tweezers, or a couple of toothpick, of a very long nail to pick the eye booger off his left scarred eye.

"I do not", Azula huffed, crossing her arms. "I have a _fabulous_ sense of naming."

"Yeah? If you had a son, what would you name him?" Zuko asked bluntly.

"I don't want to have a child", Azula said flatly despite the jolt in her stomach. "But, if someone comes around who can somehow swoon me and I somehow, unlikely thought it is, am willing to marry him and let him impregnate me with a son", she inhaled, trying to keep a certain ponytailed assassin off her mind; she needed to be clear and her mind focused. "Then, I am going to name my son Ozai, after our father as a sign of respect and hope that he will grow into just as powerful a firebender and capable a ruler."

"…You just couldn't think of any new name, could you?"

"…Shut up."

Zuko sighed and got up, stretching his back despite feeling lightheaded from the… he was not sure, either the lack of sleep or too much sleep. "I'll talk to Mai", he said. "I'm sure she'll agree."

"Good, you do that", Azula tapped her chin, thinking.

"What about you", Zuko asked suspiciously. "Who are you bringing?"

"I'll find someone", Azula shrugged lightly. "I already have someone in mind."

"Really?" Zuko frowned deeply. The Azula he knew never associated herself with any boys during their mission and even back home she would either be bugging Lu Ten to no end or locking herself in her room. He simply could not think of a time when Azula actually went out of the Palace to… socialize. He knew that Azula believed herself to be superior and far too good to hang out with the… as she and Lu Ten would say, _populace_. Even Mai and Ty Lee, she had picked herself. "Please tell me it's not that Chan kid", Zuko felt queasy all of the sudden.

"What?" Azula growled dangerously, fuming. "Why would everyone think I would lower myself that much to even consider that filthy fake-blooded slug?! I have a standard, you know!"

"Well, you did let him walk you into the Female Quarters", Zuko pointed out. "I heard what happened."

"So I'd have a legitimate excuse to almost kill him, you dumb-dumb", Azula huffed, crossing her arms miffily. "And besides, I need to practice my swordplay. I'm getting rusty. So, I needed a live target. Do you know that a person's kidney looks like a bean?"

"Did you _really_ cut his kidney out and stomp on it?" Zuko made a face.

"Please", Azula scoffed, inspecting her nails. "I'm not that boorish. I cut it out and kicked it to the hallway; the guards stepped on it when they came rushing."

-B-L-O-O-D-

Dinner was never a big thing in their family. They were distant and segmented and, for the most part, busy. But, there they were, all of them. Even Iroh.

At the long table they sat.

Azulon was at the head, as usual. Illah sat at his left, as usual. The spot on the Fire Lord's immediate right was reserved for his apparent heir; Iroh used to sit there but now he sat on the seat right after it, before Ozai and Zuko. The seat between Illah and Ursa, on the left side of the table, was left empty and Azula sat by her mother's side. Lu Ten was nowhere to be found.

Ursa was her usual cheerful self, fussing over Azula who could not escape.

"Try this sweet chili tofu, dear", Ursa picked up a couple of those and put it into Azula's bowl. "This is your favorite. Remember when you were a child, you could eat these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?"

Ty Lee, sitting between Azula and Mai, giggled; Azula turned to her and gave her the evil eye; Ty Lee quickly stuffed her mouth with as much vegetable as possible.

"Where's Lu Ten?" the Princess asked the table, catching Zuko's fleeting glance.

"I don't know, dear niece", Iroh answered warmly. "He did say something about fire flakes and a tent before storming off somewhere."

"The last time he mentioned fire flakes and a tent, he built a glider and jumped off the Astronomy Tower", Ozai commented, sipping his tea calmly.

"Oh, get off his back, Ozai", Illah snapped a little. "That boy has an active mind."

"And a defective brain", Azula grumbled into her cup.

"What's that, dear?" Ursa turned to the girl, smiling warmly.

"Nothing, Mother", Azula replied casually. "I'm just… worried. Lu Ten tried to barge into my room when I was testing some spells on my door; he was blasted with the full potency of ten different trap enchantments."

"Why would you jinx your door?" Zuko frowned at her.

"Hmm, oh, you know", Azula shrugged off-handedly. "To keep away unwanted presence."

She noticed how her words cut deep into her mother.

Azula decided not to care.

"Good evening, everyone!" came from the direction of the door. Lu Ten walked in and threw his arms wide, grinning from ear to ear.

"Why, hello there, lovely ladies", he wiggled his brows at the two female guests; Mai was impassive but Ty Lee giggled a little. "Fire Lord, Fire Lady", he bowed at the two. "Father, Uncle, Aunt", and to the three. He sauntered innocently and guilt-free, despite being late, to the women' side of the table and, wedging himself between Ty Lee and Azula, he turned to the former and flashed his winning smile that had melted several hearts of the maidens of the court.

"You don't mind if I take your seat, would you?" he winked a bit too. "It's just that, it's been awhile since I saw my baby cousin", he turned to Azula and, despite the latter's protest, laughed and pulled her head gently his way so he could peck the top of her head.

"Of course not, Your Highness", Ty Lee replied cheerfully.

"Lovely", Lu Ten said; turning to the attending servants, he ordered. "Hey, you two! Help the lady move, would you?"

Soon, he found himself sitting by the Princess' side, grinning wide; Azula fought the urge to stab his eyes with her chopsticks.

Azulon would have said something but Illah kept glaring his way whenever he opened his mouth to talk. Iroh and Ozai were as knowledgeable in their mother's body language as their father was and wisely kept their silence. Ursa did not feel like she should say anything and risk making the strain between her and her daughter worse.

"Now", Lu Ten received his bowl of rice. "What do I miss?"

"Zuko and I have an announcement", Azula perked up suddenly; Zuko glanced at his sister with mistrust in his eyes.

"_I thought you'd bring someone",_ Zuko had demanded of the girl in the hallway earlier before the dinner.

"_He can't make it. Don't worry, our plan doesn't change",_ Azula had shrugged nonchalantly. Turning to Mai, her lips parted to her usual sly smirk. _"So, are you ready, Mai?"_

Mai had simply sighed. _"Whatever you say."_

"What is it, Zuko?" Ursa asked. All eyes were on the younger Prince now.

"Actually", Zuko set down his bowl. "Azula and I have an announcement."

The edge of the Princess' mouth tipped up just a fraction. "Well, yes", she set down her bowl _and_ chopsticks too; unlike a certain uncouth brother of hers. "You see, dear family…"

"…for quite awhile now…" Zuko nodded slightly and resumed her speech.

Then, he said. "I've been dating", while, Azula, against the plan and Zuko's expectation, said in tandem. "Zuko's been dating."

Zuko's jaws hardened as he sent a killer glare to Azula's smirk. "Oh, there she is. Mai, it's Mai, that's Mai sitting right there, there's Mai sitting right between Ty Lee and Lu Ten. Mai. Mai's dating Zuko. And vice versa. I think. I wouldn't know how that works because _I _don't have a boyfriend."

"Oh, I know I can count on my baby cousin", Lu Ten cooed, patting Azula on the head. Something snapped from Zuko's direction but they both ignored it.

"Oh…" Ursa looked stunned, eyes darting between his son, who was getting a replacement chopsticks and Mai whom she herself knew so little about. Ursa was actually hoping to set Zuko up with Ty Lee, or the likes of her. Ursa found Ty Lee's perkiness endearing and was hoping it could neutralize Zuko's gloominess. Zuko and Mai… Ursa dreaded thinking about their offspring. Her mind pictured a blob of dark gloomy cloud with limbs.

Azula quite enjoyed the next part where Illah and Ursa grilled Zuko with it. Lu Ten rubbing his foot on hers made it difficult to concentrate on it though. Azula was still not quite ready to let Lu Ten off the hook yet, so she stomped her heel down onLu Ten's foot. The table jumped and Lu Ten tried his best to keep his straight face although he had accidentally burst the food in his mouth and now the icky spillage had marred the dishes in front of them.

"Oh, is that your foot, Cousin", Azula asked without caring whatsoever. "I'm sorry, I thought it was a rat", extra goody sharpness on the word 'rat'. "So, I stomped on it."

Lu Ten, through his neutral face, squeaked. "That's alright, baby cousin. Nice heel by the way. New boots?"

"Well, you should know", Azula smirked, sipping from her cup. "You bought these for me for my last birthday."

"Ah, yes", Lu ten cleared his throat, his voice came back. "Custom made, light leather and silk, with hidden pouch on the side for knives."

"Knives?" Azula arched a brow, ignoring the servants who came to clean their table and replaced their contaminated food. "I keep gold pieces as emergency money in there", Fire Nation gold pieces are rectangular in shape.

"Oh, good thinking", Lu Ten patted her head again and Azula smirked wider. "So, Zuko, you've been dating, huh? You dog!"

"Prince Lu Ten", Illah chided. "There is no need for such vulgarity."

"I am so sorry, Grandmother", the Prince bowed politely but exchanged hidden smirk with Azula. "I am merely curious as to how my little cousin can woo such charming young lady", he turned to the other girl at his left.

"No, Lu Ten, the other one", Azula said before popping a piece of tofu into her mouth.

"Oh?" Lu Ten craned his neck and peered past Ty Lee. "Oh! _Oh_… never mind."

"Lu Ten, be polite!" Ursa chided him now.

"Anyway", Illah started; pretty much the whole table noticed the lack of vigor in her usual steely tone. "Now that Prince Zuko has taken a further step to ensure our great-grandchildren", the Lady warmly smiled and grabbed her husband's hand; Ozai nearly spat his drink, Ursa mentally winced, Iroh had a bad feeling while among the younger generation, Zuko turned dangerously red and snapped another pair of chopsticks, Azula had to bite the inside of her mouth to prevent herself from laughing, Ty Lee choked on her rice, but Mai kept her mask perfectly still.

Lu Ten's mouth hung open.

"What about you, Lu Ten?" Illah turned to his eldest grandson. "You are of age."

"A thousand six hundred something? *gasp* _No_", Azula muttered sarcastically to her cup. Lu Ten nudged her foot sharply.

"I am not…" Lu Ten cleared his throat. "…quite ready yet. Don't you think so, _Azula_?" he rarely used her name.

"Oh, no. I agree with Fire Lady completely", she set down her cup and shifted a little towards Lu Ten. Placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, she spoke with such heartfelt affection. "Dear Cousin Lu Ten, surely someone of your age need a lady in your life. Being an heir apparent and busy as you are helping our esteemed grandfather must take such a toll on you", she sighed dramatically, but not too much. "You need someone to fill that gaping hole in your soul—"

"My soul is not gaping!"

"—give some color to your drab life—"

"Excuse me!"

"—and perhaps, if that's okay with our elders, warm your…bed?"

"…Now, wait a second. This dating thing is starting to sound rather fascinating. Tell me more."

"_Well_—"

"Princess Azula, that is quite enough!" Illah snapped suddenly; her usual fierce glare returned. Azula smirked and acquiesced gracefully. Illah had a nagging feeling she was being played.

The rest of the dinner went boringly. Zuko had clamped his jaw shut under Illah's and Ursa's grilling while glaring at his pudding with such intensity while the men talked of war among themselves. Mai and Ty Lee were talking between themselves with Lu Ten joining them every now and then. Azula just sat there devouring cakes after cakes.

"Are you alright, baby cousin?" Lu Ten turned to her and asked the Princess who was in the middle of drowning her cherry into a bowl of dipping honey.

"Why are you asking?" Azula replied gruffly, running her sticky cherry on a saucer of powdered chili with a fork and popping it into her mouth.

"That's nasty", Lu Ten commented. "And that's…" he pointed at the half-eaten slice of cheesecake in front of her. "…is your fifth slice of cake. You eat when you upset."

"I don't do that", Azula scowled. "And why would you care anyway? Dumb-dumb…" she grumbled.

Lu Ten simply scoffed and poked her side a bit, making Azula jolt. "You'll get fat."

"Boys won't want to date me if I'm fat", Azula said with her whiny voice, looking all innocent as she ate more cake.

"Servants! Ten more slices of prime sweet cake for the Princess!"

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Look, Lu Ten, you're still suspicious? I get it. You want to stay in my room tonight? Fine, go ahead. You want to actually set a tent here? Be my guest. But, by the power vested in me by the blood of my royal ancestors, I, Princess Azula, daughter of Ozai and Ursa, forbid you to MAKE A CAMPFIRE IN MY ROOM!"

Lu Ten stopped rubbing the two pieces of wood together. Azula exhaled sharply and drew an invisible curtain over her face. Sighing, she said with such grace and quaintness befitting a Princess. "Do you understand that?"

"Sugar makes you cranky", Lu Ten grumbled, throwing the pieces of wood away. Yawning, he crawled into the sleeping bag he had set up on the floor by Azula's bed.

"You're not sleeping in the tent?" Azula glared at the big red monstrosity that Lu Ten had set in her room.

"No", Lu Ten lay down and squirmed. "I never said I'd sleep in it. It's ugly."

"It has… horns", Azula put the back of her hands on her head with her index fingers pointing out, mimicking a pair of horns. "Are you sure you built it right?"

"Psh! Like you don't know me. Of course I'm not sure", Lu Ten scoffed. Azula let out a giggle involuntarily and quickly clamped her mouth shut. "Aha! I made you laugh!"

"You did not", Azula denied tersely, crossing her arms and pouting childishly.

"Ah, Lu Ten knows what Lu Ten knows", the Prince smirked triumphantly, netting his fingers below his head. "So, we haven't catch up in awhile. What's up with you lately?"

"The usual", Azula replied dully, slipping into her blanket and dropping onto her pillow. Lying on her back with her fingers netted on her stomach. "I tricked Zuko into opening a trapped treasure chest in our last mission."

"Atta girl", Lu ten raised his fist and Azula bumped it with her own. "You don't have a boyfriend, right?"

"No", Azula said neutrally, ignoring the tiny tug of guilt in her stomach. "You?"

"No, I don't have a boyfriend", Lu Ten yawned.

Azula rolled around to her side and dangled her arm down, her finger poking her cousin's forehead. "Dumb-dumb."

"Can I sleep in your bed? Your floor doesn't like me", Lu Ten asked.

"Nope", Azula replied quickly.

"Your bed's huge", Lu Ten grumbled. "You can sleep on one side and I can sleep on the other."

"Nope", Azula repeated.

"You've changed", Lu Ten lamented, having his nose poked by Azula. "Remember when you were a kid? Sometimes you and Zuko slept in my bed. You always want to sleep in the middle so you can hug someone wherever you turn. You're a hugger."

"I'm not a hugger", Azula denied grumpily. "And I'm not a kid anymore."

Lu Ten simply scoffed. Sitting up, he turned to Azula. "Come here", he spread his arms wide.

Azula hesitated for a second but childhood habit kicked in as she flung herself into the warm embrace of her big cousin.

"No boyfriend, okay?" Lu Ten said, stroking the girl's head gently.

"What if I do have one?" Azula asked before she could stop herself.

"Well, I'll beat him up or something; you know, to make sure he'll be good to you", Lu Ten smiled and let go. He put his hands on the sides of Azula's face, pushing her bangs off her face. "Give Lu Ten a goodnight kiss?"

Azula felt the corner of her mouth twitched. She leaned forward and pecked the boy on the cheek. Lu Ten kissed her audibly on the forehead. "Night."

"Night", Azula said, smiling earnestly. She plopped back onto her pillow and suddenly felt lighter. Happier.

After a few seconds, Lu Ten spoke again. "Seriously, can I—"

"Nope."

"Okay", Lu Ten sighed. Half a minute later, he spoke again. "Azula, you're not gay, are you?"

"Lu Ten, I have something I want to show you."

"What?"

"Republic City's lightningbending."

"I'm sorry, Republic City wha—AAARRGGHHH!"


	8. Chapter 8 - Assault

**Chapter 8 – Assault**

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

The Blue Spirit coursed through the Palace rooftops silently, moving from shadow to shadow with sheer agility and stealth alone. He froze as he raced across the Royal Female Quarters. Crouching low on the top of the tall roof, he peeked past a tiny ornamental kirin statue on the roof ridge and saw a slender petite girl striding through the hallway and across the large garden. He knew instantly it was the Princess Azula; no maidservants wore their hair in simple ponytail and the garden, he knew, was a private ground.

The Princess raced deeper into the vast garden, past a set of garden bench and table, and into an old shady cherry blossom tree. The season was autumn and the tree was hibernating. The branches were many and tight, and the night was dark and cloudy.

The amber eyes behind the mask widened as the Princess strode towards the tree and opened her arms wide, making a gesture as if she was about to embrace someone. The Blue Spirit's stomach jolted as a pair of arms welcomed the Princess and Azula let herself be swept off her feet and taken into the impenetrable shadow under the tree.

Zuko took off his mask and he looked horrified. He rubbed his eyes (yes, the scarred one too) and tried to gaze through the darkness. He was about to use his vampiric powers to make his eyes extra-photosensitive but a small tug in his chest stopped him from doing so.

Sure, Zuko was still sore about Azula's betrayal but… oh, curse this conscience, Zuko grumbled. He sat down on the slanted roof and lay down on his back, sighing at the cloudy sky above.

"_Zuzu, look! That's the Western Wall Constellation! And that's the Southern Arrow! And that must be the King's Feast Constellation that daddy told us about! And that's Great-Grandpa Roku flying on his dragon! Hi, Great-Grandpa!"_

Simpler time, it had been. So long ago. When his sister Azula was just his little sister, the tiny flighty kid who could not sit still, always running around causing trouble, pulling pranks. Before her talent in Ancient Magic and firebending was ever discovered, when she was just a little vampire girl waiting to grow big enough to learn combat skills like her big brother and her big cousin.

Lu Ten used to carry them under each of his arm; they would laugh as the older Fire Prince swung them around and spurt fire under his feet, propelling themselves ten feet in the air and onto the rooftops. They would lie down there on their backs, each safely tugged in Lu Ten's protective arm, gazing at the stars and clouds and moon and the night sky. And they would stay, they would fall asleep. They knew they were safe; their big cousin had them in his arms.

And it was before Fire Prince Lu Ten was called to serve the Fire Nation in the arena of politics and warfare.

Zuko remembered the good old days but he did not miss it; he did not allow himself to miss it.

Sighing deeply once more, he put on his mask. The Blue Spirit took to the night, leaving the Fire Princess and her privacy.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula tossed and turned in her bed but she could not fall asleep. She grabbed a random pillow and hugged it tightly. She felt her chest rising up and down, the air felt stale and suffocating. Azula sat up and, propping her bent legs up, she put her face into her knees.

She turned to her left and glared at the mass of tangled blanket under which a sprawled Prince Lu Ten was snoring; Lu Ten inherited more than just his father's firebending prowess and love of tea.

Muttering something about incoherent about fire pit, flame whip, and a pair of freshly sharpened garden shear, Azula leaped down from her bed soundlessly. She walked to her bathroom with the intention to wash her face. She was about to be rude enough to slam the door behind her when she noticed a single nightshade flower tugged among the fragrant bundle of eight red roses in a small clear vase on her sink. Azula stepped in with a thumping heart and fluttery chest, took the flower, and went back to her room. She slipped into a pair of simple slippers and exited the room carefully and soundlessly.

Azula strode through the dark hallway quickly, glancing around for any signs of guards or servants. She suddenly realized she was holding the flower on her chest and she felt silly. Stuffing it inside her robe, she fixed her attire and regulated her breath calmly as she walked. The sudden surge of warmth her bending afforded was comfortable but she still felt the shiver on her skin under her nightrobe and trousers.

The Princess strode absentmindedly but at the sight of the cherry blossom tree (the place she kissed him for the first time), she broke into a run. Breath caught her chest and she hated it; it made her feel weak.

Like when her nursemaid Huang Mei came back from a vocation; _little Azula would run to the gate, wanting the hug and kisses and the sweets the woman was sure to have bought her._

Azula threw her arms wide and from the shadow under the tree a pair of arms caught her as she flung herself into the darkness. Laughing quietly, Lin spun with the Princess he held by the waist.

"So, tonight's off?" Lin asked, smiling faintly.

Azula did not answer and simply embraced his head tighter.

"Are you alright?" Lin asked again with a touch of concern.

"You just came back", Azula grumbled. "I forbid you to leave."

"Yeah… I'm gonna pass on that", Lin joked and Azula hit his back.

The Princess eased up on her embrace and looked into the assassin's eyes under his hood. "You're stupid", Azula said plainly but she kissed him warmly. "You could be with me and you choose to go to the Outer Islands instead. Dummy."

Lin snickered. "I'll be back", he cooed, reaching to tap the girl's nose, keeping his gaze on the girl's shifty amber.

"You're going now, aren't you?" Azula said sharply, eyes fixed on Lin's chin. "You have your bag with you. And you're wearing your hood."

"Actually, I have a special mission from the Fire Lord. It's happening in an hour", Lin said, nodding slightly to envelop the Princess' face in his hood so he could press is forehead on hers. "I'll be fine", he said warmly, smiling reassuringly, nudging the Princess' lips with his nose.

Azula kept her neck craned up (Lin was taller than her), but kept her eyes anywhere but his eyes. Huffing, the Princess tiptoed a little and pecked the assassin on the lips; Lin held her closer and kept the smooching going. Azula closed her eyes and felt herself melt into his arms. She grabbed the back of Lin's hood and felt the boy's arms tugging her closer. Lin gave an open-mouthed kiss and Azula complied. Tongues met and twisted around each other, feeling and tasting.

Savoring…

Like she weighed nothing at all, Lin lifted Azula up and brought her down fast but gently on the grass. Azula, lying on her back, gasped and broke off, smiling a little as she received Lin's renewed kiss.

"Wait", she pushed Lin's chest a little, not too far and Lin's nose hovered on hers as he supported himself on his bent arms at the sides of Azula's head, his hand stroking her hair. "When are you coming back?"

"Well, there's a four hour sail to Shu Jing on a ship that I've prepared. Eh, probably have to stay a day as a courtesy. One extra day for precaution just in case Master Piandao needs me for something", Lin vocalized his calculation.

"Make it two days", Azula muttered, tugging on Lin's hood and robe to tidy them up. "Master Piandao can be unexpected."

"Alright, two days", Lin sighed. "And, that makes… three days max?"

"Four", Azula grumbled, pouting (cutely, in Lin's opinion). "I'm preparing for the worse."

"Oh, come on", Lin smiled, pecking the Princess on the lips. "I'll be back before you know it."

Azula did not say anything in reply.

"Come on, pouty", Lin teased. "Smile for me?"

"Nope", Azula said flatly despite the deviant curve at the corner of her mouth. "Dummy…"

They kissed for what seemed like forever that ended too quickly.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Zao stretched his back and rolled his shoulder. The time was nigh and they should have moved out by now, if the letter they received from the tavern was to be trusted. The worst penmanship ever, Zao, the semi-literate person, thought.

_Northern Zaolu Forest, midnight. We are ambushing a fort occupied by bandits and are recruiting any capable men and women to join. Rewards are given to those who slayed the bandit leader. The attack begins at the signal of an explosion._

"Hey, lookie there!" Lee, the scrawny off-duty night guard who had happened to be at the Drunken Dragon the other night exclaimed, pointing at the forest path behind them where several torches appeared from the darkness of the night. "Hey, that's my cousin Sang Min. Hey, cuz! Over here!" he yelled and waved. The incoming group of twenty people paused a little, startled by the sound coming from the darkness ahead until some of the firebenders in Zao's group lit a flame in their hands.

"Hey, I know you", Cu Yong, a large burly man clad in a sleeveless thick leather armor and carrying a giant battle axe, pointed rudely at the vampire Captain of Zao and Scrawny Lee's (not Baldy Lee or Archer Li; they were in Cu Yong and Sang Min's group) group. "You're that vampire mercenary group. What are you doing here?!" he barked; his men behind him readied their weapons and so did Zao, his halberd, and his compatriots.

The Captain stepped forward fearlessly. "Do not even think about snatching our contract, knaves", the vampire spat at the ragtag group of ruffians before them. "We are here first!"

"Actually", a new voice called from the shadow of the trees; the previous two groups turned their weapons and Elements to their surrounding as a group of hooded men and women emerged and surrounded them from all sides. "We were here first", spoke the tall hooded middle-aged men. Two hooded men were by his side, armed with spears. "You are a loud one", his bearded mouth curved into a wicked smile that gave Zao the jeebies.

"Oh, great", Sang Min groaned, slumping his giant mallet on his shoulder. "Who invited the Zang Hei? We don't need you Sectarians here."

"We receive the call just as you did", the tall hooded man, Zang Lung, pulled the piece of crossbow bolt with the piece of paper tied to the shaft. "Now, tell me, where is our benefactor for the evening's event? Surely, it's not any of you gentlemen here. I find it hard to believe that—"

A commotion ensued from the direction of the fort.

"…Perhaps we were not the first one here", Zang Lung said flat-faced.

-B-L-O-O-D-

The Blue Spirit perched on the spot he was the night before on the sequoia-willow tree, looking over the fort and the many forest paths surrounding it. He first saw the wild forest clan coming first, wasting no time to disperse and surrounded the fort while hidden among the foliage. The second group to come was the mysterious group of female vampire magic-users that had stirred up quite a trouble with their vigilantism; the robed females and their signature teakwood scepters dissolved into the shadow and, half an hour later, the hooded Zang Hei Sect came and hid themselves among the trees.

Quite a lot of people coming, the Blue Spirit thought, and not only on that side of the forest. The Crow-Raven Brigand made an appearance on the forest at the foot of the hill overlooking the fort and they climbed up to take the higher ground to maximize the effectiveness of their bows. The Fire Fang Gang sent about forty thugs led by two lieutenants, ready for the brawl on the south side, scaring off competition there. And, to the delight of the swordsman inside the Blue Spirit, he had noticed five young men dressed in the uniform of long red robe of the Master Sima Jian's Whispering Wind School of Swordsmanship quite a distance away behind the Fire Fang Gang, each ready with a fencing jian on their backs, obviously utilizing a little strategy to use the Gang to open their paths. And there were also many lone warriors and unnamed groups of people.

They numbered up to a total of a little more than a hundred, outnumbering the deserters by a dozen or two of swords. Not enough, the Blue Spirit thought; it was a common knowledge of the warfare strategy that to take a fort, the attacking force must be three times larger than the defenders. Any neophyte in the art of war knows that. Worse yet, those people knew not of each other and, since there was (supposedly) prize money involved, they would not want to cooperate.

_Oh, well_, the Blue Spirit fought an urge to shrug. _That's why they're here, anyway_.

Cannon fodder.

Distraction…

He really had no intention to pay them the money.

His dao flashes a silver gleam as he crouched and slashes diagonally at the figure who was perching on the branch below him.

"You're the one I'm supposed to meet?" the ma— _boy_, in the dark hood and armor asked with a tone that the Blue Spirit could only describe as neutral. Ironic, since the hooded assassin was holding a dagger to his groin, the only nearest lethal spot the assassin could reach.

"Yes, Fire Lord Azulon sent you?" the Blue Spirit rasped, not removing his blade from the boy's throat.

"I was told to come here and aid the one who is about to take down the fort", Lin relented his blade first. "Didn't even know they have a fort here."

"It's built by deserters recently", the Blue Spirit explained curtly, sheathing back his dao.

"So", Lin crossed his arm and leaned back on one of the branches that made up the V-shape that he was balancing on, giving the masked figure the quick look. "Fire Lord Azulon supports vigilantism, huh? I thought what you do is illegal."

"I thought the Whispered wear masks", the Blue Spirit jabbed back; Zuko noticed the boy's smirk but not the quirk of brow that preceded it.

"Touché", Lin stood straighter. "Want to lend me yours?" he smirked in a way that reminded Zuko of Azula.

"Fire Lord Azulon promised me one of his best", Zuko said instead, casting the net of lies he had been weaving. "Tell me, what can you do?"

Lin hesitated for awhile but the Whisper was clear: he was to obey the man Fire Lord Azulon sent him too and help him to the best of his ability.

"I have visions", Lin said with hardened jaw. "It shows me the future, sometimes the past. Sometimes, it just gives me a headache."

"You have… visions", Zuko drawled. Oh, dear Agni, he had picked the wrong assassin. He was hoping for someone who could shatter a rock with his touch or blow things up with his mind or… shoot laser beam from his nose or something. Something combative. "Can you have one right now? See what will happen when the fight starts, how long the hired muscle will last?"

"Yeah… I can't really control it", Lin grinned guiltily. "It comes and goes."

Oh, Zuko really had picked the wrong assassin (_he doesn't even have weapons aside from the dagger_, Zuko cursed mentally). This simply could not get any worse.

"What do you mean you can't control it? Are you even a vampire?!"

"I'm human."

_Lovely_…

Before Zuko could deliver a biting reply, or a spicy insult, a commotion occurred from the fort as the wild forest clan attacked. Apparently, on the wake of Lin's arrival, Zuko had forgotten to pay attention to their secret bird call.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Ruon Jian grinned as the woman's head bobbed up and down on his groin; suffice to say, Ruon Jian wore no pants. His bout of debauchery was interrupted by the rough looking bare-chested man barging into his tent and declaring that they were under attack.

Shoving the half-naked woman aside, the male vampire reached for his trousers and put them on quickly. He grabbed his broadsword and stormed out quickly, joined by another rough looking bare-chested man who, with the first one, framed him on the right and left like faithful guards.

It was chaos in the fort. Several tents had caught on fire. People were fighting all over the place; on the courtyard, under the command tent, along the rampart. Ruon Jian's eyes went wide at the peculiarity of the nearest attackers who were all wearing patches of animal fur and wearing hats made of the pelt of animal head, and the fact that they were all fighting barehanded. A large man, clad in bear pelt, roared and grabbed a spearman by the shaft of his stabbing weapon. The bear-man swung the screaming spearman by the weapon and threw him across the compound. Another spearman scored a hit on the bear-man's side; the bear-man grabbed the weapon and pounded the spearman on the face with his large fist.

Ruon Jian's panicked eyes followed the direction of a flying arrow embedded itself in the chest of a saber wielder who was about to slash the bear-man from behind; the bear-man did not even knew it. As the victim of the arrow dropped his weapon and went limb, a robed woman materialized behind him, holding him under the arms and sinking her fangs in the dying man's neck.

The woman emerged with blood dripping down her chin. The ridge on her brows and forehead sunk and her incisors retracted as her fanged face disappeared; her long flowing brown hair and, ironically, the blood smeared on her seductive smile complemented her beauty. The robed woman turned to Ruon Jian and his guards, twirling her scepter; the sun shaped pommel of the scepter sparked with magical energy.

Before she could do anything, a swordsman jumped between them and engaged the woman in a close-quarter combat. The swordsman slashed wildly; the woman evaded swiftly and shot a blast of light energy from her weapon. The swordsman was sent flying to the side and the vampire sorcerers leaped ten feet in the air after the fallen swordsman.

A similarly robed woman came into the picture, staggering backwards as a firebender shot a series of fire blast at her. She swung her scepter and a trailing light energy whipped towards her opponent.

Deciding he should make a run for it, Ruon Jian and his guards dashed across the compound; his guards tackled anyone who were in their way, clearing the danger for their charge.

Three hooded figures jumped out of nowhere. They threw off their robes; a tall bearded middle-aged man was in the middle, leading two young men armed with a spear each. Zang Lung pulled his twin kama, or battle scythe, from his waist and twirled them around with a flourish. One of Ruon Jian's bodyguards tackled him down and the other engaged the two spearmen in a fight.

Ruon Jian rushed away as quickly as he could, leaving the battle behind. Zao and Sang Min blocked his way in the courtyard. Ruon Jian assumed his fighting stance a bit too late and staggered back as Zai stabbed with his halberd, sparks erupted from the collision of their weapons. Screaming, Zao's face transformed into the hideous fanged form as he channeled his vampiric strength and attacked with more ferocity. Ruon Jian parried two more attack until Zao decided on a full-body swing; Ruon Jian was faster as he slashed the vampire mercenary's back with his heavy sword.

Zao fell to the ground with the blade stuck in his back, screaming in pain. Sang Min, the town guard, and his metal-tipped baton rushed next. Ruon Jian failed to retrieve his weapon. He abandoned the blade and sidestepped Sang Min's plain attack. Driving his fist on the lanky town guard's gut, making the latter doubled over in pain, Ruon Jian grabbed the guard's by the belt and the scruff of his neck, and spun with the guard dragged around. He threw Sang Min onto Zao; the two tumbled to the ground and Ruon Jian made a run for it.

A man clad in dark tight-fitting leather armor and a knee-length black cotton haori, wearing a militarized version of conical hat, drew an arrow from the quiver on his back and notched it onto his reflex recurve horn, bamboo, and sinew composite bow. He had barely drawn his bowstring when the Blue Spirit pounced at him on the back and knocked him unconscious; the latter's Whispered Brother companion caught the flinging bow, still with the arrow notched, drew and aimed with one fluid motion.

"He's running away", the Blue Spirit rasped, perching on the downed Crow-Raven Brigand archer like a lion-hawk on its prey. "Can you make the shot?"

Ruon Jian scampered away through the back gate, running up the winding towards the hill.

"Sure I can", Lin said lightly. "He's a vamp, right?"

"Yes", the Blue Spirit answered curtly.

"The back of the head, then", Lin muttered and fixed his aim.

"Well", The Blue Spirit said as Lin took his sweet time aiming. "Do it now! He's getting too far."

"I can make it", Lin turned to the vigilante, frowning offendedly. "I'm a good shot."

"Even you can't make a shot that small at 300 meters", the Blue Spirit scoffed.

"Do you know Yu Yan the Jade-Eyed Archer?" Lin asked out of nowhere, concentrating on his shot; with the drawing hand on his cheek, he aligned the tip of his arrow on Ruon Jian's head.

"Yeah, what of him?" the Blue Spirit drawled; of course Zuko knew his sister's archery master, the most talented archer to ever take up a bow. "Are you his student?" Yu Yan was a wandering master archer who was keen on taking students here and there and, at some point, took on a post an Imperial Archery Master.

"No", Lin scoffed and aimed his bow up sharply. "I was trained by one of his best student", Lin added lightly as he released his arrow.

"I see", the Blue Spirit's brow arched up in awe as the arrow sang through the night air and embedded itself on the crown of Ruon Jian's skull; the runaway vampire fell down harshly on his face and did not get up. "And who is that? I might send him a flower."

Lin scoffed, lowering the bow. "Yeah, you wouldn't believe it if I told you", he grinned at the vigilante. "And besides, she doesn't really like flowers."

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula did not like flowers.

She sat in her bed, back on the headboard with her blanket pulled up her waist. Azula held the panda lily in her hand, twirling it absentmindedly; her left thumb caressed the ring she wore on the index finger of the same hand. She looked up to the opened window. The sky was cloudy and the temperature cool but the air was still and calm.

Azula felt a strange coldness on her face, a streak of line running down her cheek, and, without wiping her tears, she hurried down and landed on Lu Ten. The Prince groaned in pain, waking up so suddenly, and rudely, but his baby cousin sobbing quietly on top of him was a reason enough not to be mad.

"Hey, hey", Lu Ten said softly, setting the girl down on her side. "Are you okay?"

Azula refused to look up and simply grabbed the front of his garb and cried silently there, shuddering wildly.

"Azula", Lu Ten said patiently, rubbing the girl's back and stroking her head. "Is something bothering you?" his tone grew comically darker. "Is it Zuko? Because, if it is him, I'm gonna kick his butt for you."

Azula chuckled but did not look up. Chewing her lips to discourage the smile, she circled her arms around Lu Ten's torso and gripped his garb tight; Lu Ten squeezed her a bit and long they stayed in silence.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Not bad", the Blue Spirit commented as he and Lin inspected the fallen Ruon Jian. "I don't need to remind you that this mission is highly classified", he tilted his head towards the assassin, foot poking Ruon Jian's back just because he felt like it. Ruon Jian once flirted with Mai and Zuko did not forgive easily.

"Of course", Lin replied professionally, twirling the bow he had decided to keep on one finger. "What are you going to do with him?" he asked as the Blue Spirit crouched down and snapped the arrow sticking out on the fallen vampire's head.

"It's need to know only", the vigilante replied brusquely, hoisting Ruon Jian onto his shoulder like a sack. "You don't need to know."

"If you say so", Lin shrugged lightly. That's true; in his line of work, the less he knew the better.

Ignorance is bliss…

"Here", Zuko threw him a small pendant; ruby centerpiece, round and smooth, shaped like a teardrop, caged in a golden fitting shaped from four twirling and coiling dragons. The dragons' tails formed the top, aligning themselves to form some sort of opening, and the front part curved at the bottom of the pendant, with their wings outstretched, forming some sort of footing or legs. The pendant was chainless and about the size of large peanut pod. "Blood Ruby, especially enchanted to convey messages."

"And… why would I need this?" Lin drawled suspiciously, dangling the pendant with two fingers.

"I may need your services in the future", the Blue Spirit said simply. "Fire Lord Azulon has arranged it. It will not be added to your Soul Collecting but you will receive compensation. Monetary compensation", he clarified.

Lin looked at the pendant he had in his hand, turned to the Blue Spirit and to the pendant again. "Can I refuse?"

"No", the vigilante replied curtly.

"Okay" Lin suddenly felt uneasy. "Can my kills in your service at least be added to my Soul Collecting? I don't care about the money."

Zuko took a moment to think; people who coveted wealth are easier to control. "I shall talk to the Fire Lord about it", he said diplomatically. "Until then…" he inclined his head a bit and started walking away.

Lin watched the vigilante's departure with a strange foreboding feeling in his chest.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula had calmed down a bit, silently rubbing the front of Lu Ten's garb with her left hand; her ring glinted in the dim lighting. Lu Ten held her loosely, trying to fight off drowsiness.

"So", Lu Ten started, looking down on the girl who was still sulking with red puffy eyes. "Want to tell me what's wrong?"

Azula shook her head, diving into his chest once more.

"Is it about your dad?" Lu Ten asked delicately. "He's been busy lately. You know how hard he has to work to regain his reputation."

Of course Azula knew. She herself had to work hard. She and Zuko both. And Lu Ten, too.

The next in line for the Fire Crown after Iroh was supposed to be Ozai, the second son of the current Fire Lord. By a stroke of bad luck –or simply luck-, Ozai and his family were not present during the assault of the Kyoshi Warriors. The Grand Flame Master Roku was grievously wounded and entered a Blood Coma, Fire Lord Azulon and Lady Illah were forced to defend themselves, Fire Princes Iroh and Lu Ten did not survive unscathed themselves, and many Imperial Guards were killed.

And Ozai was in the Ember Island, vacationing with his family.

During the assault, Lu Ten suffered a serious chest wound, taking a blow for the Fire Lord, witnessed by many noble houses of the court. Even downed with such life-threatening wound, the young Prince still committed himself to the defense of the Royal Palace, organizing a pursuing party after the Kyoshi Warriors retreated.

The court was split into two factions when, several years later, Iroh decided to relinquish his birthright; those who wished to uphold tradition and appoint Ozai and those who believed the time had come for a younger, more capable blood.

Ozai was a man of honor; one of his merits that made his lust for power and undeterred strive for perfection tolerable. He stepped down from the competition willingly, stating that he had not regained his honor yet.

His decision put a lot of strain on the younger generation of the Fire Nation Royal.

Lu Ten was a free-spirited soul who was not equipped mentally for the position of power and, worst of all, responsibility. Being the heir apparent meant having Fire Lord Azulon taking him under his wing directly to educate him further in what it takes to be the Fire Lord.

Zuko, whose aspiration was to serve his country alongside his uncle and cousin in the warfront, had to take the brunt of the military officers bashing his family during events and celebrations hosted in the Palace. After all, many of those war commanders had lost many good men and women in the Kyoshi Warriors' attack and who would want to trust the coward's son anyway?

Azula, though she did not let it show, took an even greater blow; she was a second-born of a second prince, and she was a girl. Having her father's reputation tainted beyond repair for something that was beyond anyone's control was not something she needed. Having her big cousin Lu Ten pretty much wrenched away by the pressure of his new status did not make it easy. She devoted herself to her study and training even more as the result.

Both she and Zuko believed that Ozai's decision to forbid them from joining the military, using Lu Ten's nearly getting killed in the Siege of Ba Sing Se as an excuse, was the man's poorly disguised way of being kind to them. No military officers would want to take them anyway.

The war had not been kind to them.

The war had not been kind to her father.

Azula remembered the time before the attack. Her father had never neglected to spend time with her, training her in firebending every evening and taking her with him in every outing. Inspections to the Outer Islands, courtesy visits to the noble houses, or simply walking around the Royal Palace. The Fire Prince would take her tiny hand, holding it tight like she was the most precious, boasting her many talents to any who would listen.

Her mother tried to fill that hole but Ursa was no Ozai.

A daughter clad in flowery silk dresses (instead of training garb made of heavy fire-resistant cotton), hair up in ribbons and flowers (not in a boyish top-knot with a plain headpiece), playing a flute or a guqin (and not danced with swords and bows), leaning how to dance and sing (instead of firebending and hand-to-hand combat) just not what Azula was born to be.

And her great-grandfather Roku…

The ancient firebending master, respected in all Four Nations.

Azula remembered him all too well. She must have been a tiny child when the old firebending master took her to the turtle-duck garden, sat her on his broad lap as they watched the sky and the cloud. The old wizened man had conjured up a brilliant orange flame on his palm and Azula had scooped it into her tiny hands. Azula remembered all too well the old man's exclaim and laughter and praises and him holding her tight, throwing the little giggling girl up and down when the flame turned blue.

Azula was never good with feelings. She bottled them up, kept them hidden in the darkest corner of her mind. The absence of thought and mind, the secret of effective firebending, her great-grandfather Roku, her first firebending master, would always say.

"_Fire is Life",_ she remembered the old man conjuring a small flame on his palm. _"Just as two lives cannot exist in one medium, two lives cannot exist in the same fire. Imposing your will upon your Element is futile and wrong. Trust your fire, little one"_, the flame erupted into a roaring pillar of flame without him moving a muscle. _"And your flame will never fail you."_

"I miss Grampy", she admitted softly.

"I miss him, too", Lu Ten smiled kindly, pecking the top of the girl's head.

"I miss my dad", Azula continued.

"He's under a lot of pressure", Lu Ten explained patiently.

"My mom's been acting weird", Azula grumbled.

"She's trying", Lu Ten scoffed a little. "Cut her some slack."

"You smell like bacon", Azula said.

"You zapped me with lightning", Lu Ten replied. "Seriously, Republic City? That is _so_ wrong."

"That's what I said", Azula looked up finally. "It might present a problem."

"Nah, we'll figure something out", Lu Ten yawned. "You miss me?"

"Nope", Azula pouted.

"Aww, look at you, living in denial. So cute", Lu Ten cooed, pinching the girl's nose.

"Dumb-dumb", Azula rested her head on the Prince's chest to hide her smile.

"So", Lu Ten cleared his throat. "Zuko's been dating… huh?"

"I don't have a boyfriend, stop asking!" Azula whined like a little girl, pounding her fist on her cousin's gut.

"Okay, okay", Lu Ten coughed a little. "Sheesh, you look out for your baby cousin and you get your head bit off."

Azula snickered under her breath and pressed her head closer to Lu Ten.

After a moment of silence, Lu Ten started again. "So… Mai's the one with…" he gestured his cupped hands on his skull, mimicking Mai's hair buns. Azula detached herself enough to look at him.

"Yeah", Azula sniffed.

"She looks…" Lu Ten frowned a bit, looking for a more appropriate word that the one that popped into his mind. "…_different_ from… the regular court ladies."

"She looks plain", Azula translated.

"Plain, plain, plain", Lu Ten exasperated. "I thought she was part of the furniture when I walked in."

Azula giggled.

"Hey, what about the other one? The one with a long braid?" Lu Ten asked with far too much interest than Azula was comfortable with.

"Who, Ty Lee?" she asked sharply.

"Ah, Ty Lee", Lu Ten brightened up. "So, her name's Ty Lee, huh? I see", he smiled faintly, not noticing Azula's sharp calculating gaze. "What's her condition? Is she single?"

"Yes…" Azula drawled.

"Oh, good, good", Lu Ten pondered aloud, eyes lost in his thought. "What kind a person does she like? Perhaps someone…" he puffed up his chest, rubbing his brow slowly with one finger. "…charming?"

Azula looked at him with big innocent eyes.

"Someone… suave?"

Azula blinked twice slowly.

"Smart?"

"…"

"Royal? Like a prince, maybe?"

"…"

Lu Ten narrowed his eyes. "Someone like _me_?" he tapped the girl's forehead twice lightly with his finger. "Boy, you're slow."

"I'm not slow", Azula huffed, crossing her arms; playfully, Lu Ten tried to touch her shoulder but she shrugged it off. "And Ty Lee…"

"…Yeah…?" Lu Ten drawled.

Azula sighed and sucked her teeth, trying to explain her point. "Let me put it this way. Two weeks ago, I was woken up at night by Ty Lee's hand… inside my robe."

Lu Ten looked impassive and lost.

"It was night…. We were in bed…"

Lu Ten blinked.

"She was fondling my breasts?"

"Oh!" Lu Ten exclaimed, feeling and looking uneasy. "Oh... tell me. in great detail", he grinned mischievously. Azula hit him hard.

"I see…" he sighed deeply, rubbing his chest. "Too bad. The good ones always… there's always something wrong; not a nobility, non-bending, related to Zhao… not _a_ girl."

Azula exasperated. "You _have_ to let that one go."

"Azula, I kissed a cross-dressing dude on new year's eve", Lu Ten snapped gruffly. "I will never ever forget…" he shivered, suddenly turned queasy. "…that. The lesson is too painful and the price was too high to forget."

Azula giggled freely. Lu Ten snickered and kissed her forehead warmly.

"Are you okay now?" he asked softly.

Azula sighed and shook her head. "I have a bad feeling."

"Probably indigestion", Lu Ten suggested at the cost of one punch in the gut. "Come on", he groaned, getting up. "I know something that will cheer you up."

"Where are we going?" Azula sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh", Lu Ten smirked. "You'll see."

-B-L-O-O-D-

Zuko stored his Blue Spirit attire and equipment in the hidden compartment in his bathroom. He walked out, clad in his sleeping robe. Yawning, he plopped back face first into his bed, trying not to think too much on the captured deserter he had stashed in a nearby abandoned prison facility.

Being back in the Palace, in his room, brought about the topic of thought that was haunting him earlier. Azula and her tryst. The idea that his baby sister was seeing someone in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night… someone was hugging her…

Someone touched his baby sister…

_Just who was that?!_

Azula teased him, tortured him, mocked him, made fun of him, show him up at every turn. His little sister made being a firstborn son a living hell.

And then, she grew up.

Azula teased him, tortured him, mocked him, made fun of him, show him up at every turn some more. His little sister made being a big brother a living hell.

They had grown more and more distant ever since as they got older. When Azula was little and free, Zuko had been too preoccupied with his own training to spend time with her. Then, Azula was deemed old enough for training of her own and the time they spent together grew even less. Their parents sent them to Shu Jing (upon Iroh's suggestion) to learn swordsmanship and they sort of bonded a little there, having none but each other to rely on. Then, they got back and things went back to square one: barely seeing each other aside from mealtime and their monthly sword duel.

Zuko, though he would rather throw himself into the mouth of a dragon than admitting it, missed his little sister, that tiny little girl who ran around the Palace like a little ball of energy. The Fire Prince lifted his hand and looked at it absentmindedly. He remembered the time when little Azula would not want to go to school if Zuko and Lu Ten did not take her there. She would walk between them, taking their hands in hers.

And now, his sister is dating someone…

Zuko shot up, groaning. How he hated this Big-Brother-Zuzu bit in him.

"_Azula's a big girl",_ he grumbled mentally, falling back down, burying his head under a pillow.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"So", Azula started with sharpness hidden in her tone. "Your idea of cheering me up is a stick of candies…" she raised the skewered assorted honeyed dried fruit candy. "…and taking me up to a dangerously high place?" her other arm gestured the roof on which they were sitting.

"Your favorite candy when you were little", Lu Ten pointed at the candy. "And your favorite place when you were little."

"Hmm, yeah, except there's one thing you may have overlooked here", Azula started amiably but ended up pulling Lu Ten's ear and shouting into it. "I'M NOT A KID ANYMORE!"

"Oowie!" Lu Ten whined, rubbing his red ear. "Be more quiet, would you? You want to wake the whole Palace?"

"No, just those who matter", Azula shrugged.

Lu Ten scoffed. "If you don't like the candy, why are you eating it then?"

Azula stopped chewing, her eyes narrowed into a slit. "Shut up."

Smirking knowingly, Lu Ten lay down on the slanted roof, sighing deeply. The sky was dark and cloudy for the most part but there was a hole in the layer of cloud where the moon shone through. The Fire Prince repositioned his arm when Azula lay down beside him, using his arm and shoulder as a pillow.

"Want one?" she shoved a piece of honeyed dried plum to his mouth.

"This is good", Lu Ten chewed, reaching out for more candy; Azula kept her skewer away and slapped Lu Ten's hand. "So, anyway", Lu Ten waved his sore hand. "This Ty Lee chick, single or taken?"

Azula looked up a bit, scanning her cousin's face for any sign of him joking around while chewing her candy slowly; Lu Ten felt rather uneasy under Azula's stare.

"She flirts around with a lot of guys", Azula said finally. "Don't let her get to you."

"Wait, I thought you said…" he caught the meaningful look in Azula's eyes. "Oh… _Oh_! I see. To use a term from the realm of civil engineering, she's a… two-way street."

"Well, Ty Lee's _flexible_ that way…" Azula said calmy; she wavered finally and burst out laughing. Lu Ten cringed at the sound of his baby cousin's laughter; a loud aberrant cackle that set his teeth on edge. "Hahaha… oh, oww, my side", the Princess clutched her waist, rubbing her watery eyes. "If you know what she can do, you'll understand."

"Oh, hey guys", Zuko unexpectedly showed up, climbing the roof. "Did you guys hear a cat dying up here? I was walking below and I heard some weird sound that sounds like a dying cat."

"Oh, that's just Azula", Lu Ten explained; Azula slapped his chest. "What brings you up here?"

"What brings _you_ here?" Zuko returned the question, joining them, lying down by Azula's other side. "This is the females' quarters."

"I'm sleeping over at Azula's", Lu Ten said plainly. "We have a lot to catch up on. Do you know if Azula's dating anyone?" Azula hit him again. "I smelt boy on her earlier."

The proverbial angel and demon battled in Zuko's conscience. He could turn Azula in. "No", the angel won. "I mean, it's _Azula_", he said matter-of-factly; Azula whipped her head to his direction, scowling. "Who would want to date her?"

"Good point", Lu Ten concurred; Azula turned her glare at him. "I mean", he snickered. "She doesn't even wear skirts."

"I am right here, jerks!"

"And she kept her hair up in boy's top-knot", Zuko added.

"It's practical!"

"Yeah", Lu Ten laughed. "And she doesn't really look the part on the…" Lu Ten cupped his hands on his chest; Azula gasped offendedly and punched him in the heart.

"I wear tight bindings!"

"I bet most boys just think she's a very girly looking dude", Zuko snickered while Lu Ten grinned painfully through his grimace.

"Who wears lipstick", Lu Ten added, guffawing and coughing at the same time. Azula huffed loudly and rose up; both boys quickly grabbed her and persuaded her to stay, showering her with apologies tainted by their grin and snicker.

They stayed there, like old time, laughing, chatting, joking around. They stayed until Azula fell asleep in their arms.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Lin had actually stayed behind to watch the commotion that ensued after the Blue Spirit left with the captured vampire; one arrow lodged in the brain, one of the few safe ways to stop a vampire. The female spell-casters left first after realizing that they had been had. The Zang Hei Sectarians and what was left of the conical-hat-wearing archers of the Crow-Raven Brigand left next. A fight broke out among the survivors, spearheaded by the Fire Fang Gang and the wild forest clan. The swordsmen from the Whispering Wind School had watched the whole chaos from the sideline, only fending off attackers without actively joining in the brawl.

The chaotic brawl took more lives from them than the fight with their common enemy had. One of the Fire Fang Gang's lieutenants was killed by a group of wild forest clan in a blaze of glory and Lin was actually rooting for a lone spearman he noticed was from the School of Sky Piercer style of spearmanship. Wielding their signature double-tipped spear, this lone spearman was mowing down his opponents. Too bad the bear-man of the wild forest dwellers snapped his spear in two and cracked his skull with one slam of his giant fist.

Lin would have stayed longer but he had to leave. He was now approaching Shu Jing's port after three hours of boat ride. One of the advantages of working as a government assassin is that he was afforded the best equipment and vehicles in the Nation. The mechanized skiff he was riding was extremely fast (and government property) and, though small and could fit only about five or six persons, it was capable of crossing the ocean on good weather and still had a chance in a small storm. It was designed for clandestine marine operation.

He made a landing on an obscure underground harbor; set up in a natural cove inside the mountain, used to be a smugglers' den, according to Master Piandao. There was tunnel there, leading to the huge estate of the swordmaster. How Piandao knew of the history of this hidden harbor, Lin would not want to know. He knew of the swordmaster's history as a deserter and simply assumed the worst.

Lin found himself in the cellar of the estate fifteen minutes later. He felt his exhaustion washed away by a sense of nostalgia. His father, a war general, was a strict warrior and had drilled him in firebending before he could speak right. Lin had been sent to learn other combat skills from various masters when he was a child and one of his stops was Shu Jing, under the care of Master Piandao.

It felt like a long time ago when he was here, staying as an _uchi-deshi_, a live-in student, in this estate of his master.

It was hours after midnight and Lin had decided that courtesy call to his master would have to wait. He found his room in the castle and plopped down face first in his bed, grunting tiredly, leaving a trail of stuff along the way. His bow, robe, traveling bag littered the floor.

It was with sheer force of his willpower that he took off his boots, bracers, and armor and he lay down more civilly in the bed. He rolled to his side and felt… off. All of a sudden, he was at lost at what to do with his arms. He pulled down a random pillow and hugged it but it did not feel the same.

He missed Azula already.

He rolled around on his back, thought wandering back to the Capitol. Running a mental checklist in his mind –arrive safely (check), talk to Master Piandao in the morning, get Azula something, go home-, he tried to fall asleep but he could not. He really missed that girl.

The sound of her voice, the beauty of her smile, the way she felt in his arms…

The feel of her skin, the smell of her hair, her breath on his face as he tasted the sweetness of her lips…

…the curves of her feminine parts… the warmth and sweetness of her womanho—

Lin opened his eyes and sighed deeply; great, no way he could go to sleep now.

He had thought that having a girlfriend means having someone to hold, to touch, to have non-penetrative sex with whenever he wanted to but, boy, was he wrong. Being a Whispered means having to kill 108 marks for the Fire Lord before he was allowed to be released from his duty and so far, he had killed exactly 56 marks (he kept count), Ruon Jian was not included. He was allowed a month's leave every eight kills, only one month with his Princess before he had to embark on another trip from which he might not return. To make matter worse, Azula herself was away quite often due to her duty.

Azula had offered to turn him into a vampire. Lin had to admit, having vampire powers will make his job easier. He would be stronger, faster, more alert, and, to top it all, have control over his head-splitting visions. Furthermore, he might be able to use what little magical prowess he had safely. Azula had tutored him in the way of magic as a means to reign in his visions but so far, it had not worked the way the Princess intended.

Sighing once again, Lin reminded himself of his conviction to fulfill his duty as a Whispered a full human he was born as. Nothing but a wishful thinking, he admitted. A small measure of freedom and control he awarded himself; to choose what he was as he accomplished this quest of his.

Perhaps later, he thought. When his duty was finally over, he would retire from this assassin business. Then, he would join the family business, fighting the war, making his mark in the history. And then, when he had set up a life for him and his Princess, he would let Azula turn him.

And they would get married.

He smiled as his Princess reigned over his mind once more.

Only, after awhile, the romantic scene was replaced by those of lust. Oh, how he lusted over her… Being an eighteen year old was not easy.

He must have missed Azula so much because he could have sworn he saw Azula, cursing the spirits loudly, crash through the window of his room on the fifth floor in a blur of red and crash landed on the floor.


	9. Chapter 9 - Pet

**Chapter 9 – Pet**

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Light slowly entered his eyes; blurred was his vision before it cleared up and he registered the stones and the damp, the ever-present sound of dripping water echoing in the tunnel. Mako groaned as he sat up, he tried to rub his eyes but his wrists were chained to the wall behind his back. Struggling, he progressed not farther than making some clanking noise.

"Wake up finally, huh?" a gruff voice called from beside him. Gommu was chained in a similar manner next to him.

"See what you did?!" the vagabond snapped angrily. "Thanks to you, they won't trust me anymore. I lost my home, my people!"

Mako sat up gingerly and withdrew his legs, crossing them. "How long was I out?"

"Couple of days or something", Gommu said tersely. "They sedated you to keep you in check. Heh! Don't even know that there's a vamp who can be sedated."

"I am nothing like you", Mako replied quietly, feeling anger bubbling up to his throat. _Good_…

"So you keep telling me", Gommu laughed sarcastically. "We're not that much different, you know."

"You know nothing about me", Mako growled threateningly.

A clanking sound echoing from the tunnel stopped their bickering.

"Are you sure, kid?" Gommu asked urgently. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"I have to know", Mako replied firmly. "I have to know", he repeated.

Gommu snickered bitterly. "Your funeral", he sneered.

Mako turned to the dirty rag of a vagabond. "Why are you helping me?"

Gommu frowned at the younger man, as if trying to decide if he should answer or not. "Believe it or not, strange boy, you're not the only who's been hurt by the green men."

Their captors emerged from the end of the tunnel in front of them and they steeled themselves for what is to come.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Piandao was woken up suddenly by the loud crash he heard somewhere in his mansion. Jumping off his bed and landed into a low crouching position on the floor, grabbing his sword from the stand beside his bed in the process, the swordmaster scanned around. There did not seem to be any disturbance in his spacious room or around the place. He stood up and, with his sword by his side, walked out of his room.

According to the letter he had received earlier, his former pupil would have arrived by now. The sound did sound like it came from the wing where the boy's room was located. He knew of the boy's line of profession and prepared for the worst case scenario. Striding silently, the master flew to the boy's room.

He arrived without a hitch across many hallways and flights of stairs, encountering several of his live-in students along the way, reassuring them as he ordered them back to bed. Piandao pushed the door open without preamble and his former pupil was indeed there.

"And take that, you rat bastard!" Lin shouted, waving his broken chair at his broken window. The boy turned to the direction of the door and found his master looking at him with a hardened stare.

Sighing, Piandao nodded slightly at the boy's awkward bow. "Go to bed, Lin", Piandao said. "We'll talk in the morning."

"Yes, Master", Lin dropped his chair and walked his master out. "And don't worry about the window", he shouted at the master who was walking away in the hallway. "I'll fix it tomorrow!"

Piandao waved his hand without looking back as he turned in the corner and disappeared. As soon as the master disappeared, Lin slammed his door shut and locked it. Quickly, he ran to his wardrobe where he had stashed Azula and opened it. There she was, cramped between Lin's garb and robes, hugging her bag and weapons on her folded legs, clad in simple red travelling clothes and hooded robe, her raven hair tied up in a partial ponytail and she still had her twin bangs. She looked worse for wear and Lin gasped at her as she looked up from the base of the wardrobe, hugging her large bag tightly.

She looked… cute. Lin felt himself melting inside.

"Don't move", Lin said firmly.

"What? Why? Is it spider? Is there a spider on me?" Azula asked gravely.

"The Republic City invented this thing they call a 'camera'", Lin said, not even blinking. "It's like a small box that allows us to take a picture of something instantly. I wish I have one right now."

Azula sent him flying with a well-aimed front kick.

Stepping out, the Princess placed her bag, swords, bow and quiver of arrows on the floor, shrugged her robe off, and straightened her garb. Clearing her throat, she turned to the door and, pointing her palm at it, muttered some words. A wave of iridescent layer of energy pulsated across the door like a ripple on the surface of water. Sighing, the Princess looked faint all of a sudden.

She slumped down to her knees and exhaled deeply; Lin, sitting up, thought she looked paler than usual. Azula rummaged her bag and extracted a small gourd. She drank from it rather greedily and sighed in content. Turning to Lin, she bit her lip, as if trying to suppress as smile. With more grace, the Princess capped the gourd and shoved it back to her back.

-B-L-O-O-D-

There was rustling sound and three bottles came up from Zuko's hand that shot up from the edge of the roof. "I've got the drink."

Lu Ten and Azula cheered for him as the younger Prince climbed up.

"Let's see", Zuko distributed the bottles. "Arak for Lu Ten."

"You have the strangest taste", Azula commented. Lu Ten replied with. "They're sweet."

"A rum for me", Zuko took his bottle.

"You've got to stop living your pirate fantasy, Zuzu", Azula smirked.

"I don't have a pirate fantasy", Zuko shoved the last bottle to his sister roughly. "And orange juice for Azula."

"That's hardly fair", Azula sulked. "Where's my booze? I want booze."

"No", the other two Princes said in tandem, taking a long gulp from their respective bottle and ended with a long satisfied. "Aaah."

"Not fair", Azula pouted some more. Zuko evaded his eyes, taking a swig to hide his smirk; Lu Ten leered at her direction, smirking to himself. "Lu Ten, I want some", she whined, hugging her big cousin's arm.

"No", Lu Ten said firmly despite his smirk; Azula let out a hitch sob and Lu Ten, laughing, swung his arms over her neck and head-locked her gently. "No", he said again, and Azula sobbed again.

"Zuzuuu! Lu Ten won't share his booze with meeee…!" Azula cried to her big brother.

"Not happening, little girl", Zuko took a gulp calmly.

"Lu Teeen! Zuzu is mean to meeee…!" Azula buried her face on her cousin's arm next.

"Zuko, stop being mean to your sister. Oh, and not happening, little girl", he said the last part to the squeaking girl in his chest. "Keep your grubby hand off my arak", he extended his other arm away, keeping his bottle of the whining Azula's reach.

"Stupid Lu Ten!" the Princess whined, struggling in her cousin's arm. "Stupid! Stupid! Idiot! Dumb-dumb!"

Lu Ten snickered, hugging the pouty girl. "Not happening, little girl", he pecked the top of her head.

"Hmph!" Azula hugged her folded legs, pouting. She reached for the bowl of spiced dried meat Zuko had brought along with him and took a bite of the snack, pouting as she ate.

"Come now, Azula", Lu Ten scooted closer, nudging the side of her head with his. "Aunt Ursa would kill us if she found out we let you drink."

"I'm old enough to drink", she grumbled.

"Azula, physically, you're fourteen", Lu Ten pointed out flatly.

"Well, Zuzu's underage too", Azula protested, pointing at the younger Prince.

"No, I'm not", Zuko shoved that accusing finger away.

"He's sixteen", Lu Ten said, smirking. "Just the right age to start drinking legally."

"I don't care", she huffed. "Stupid Lu Ten."

Lu Ten stifled a smile, playfully rested his head on the girl's shoulder.

"Stupid. Idiot. Dumb-dumb."

Zuko watched the two with a glancing eye. He did not know why but he felt something akin to… jealousy. Azula and Lu Ten were more siblings than he was (could ever be) with Azula. He wondered what went wrong in the past. Azula would always run to Lu Ten with troubles, asking for help or guidance, or simply his company. Azula could always be free and real and nice and… _her_ with Lu Ten. But, never with Zuko. Not anymore.

He sort of felt lonely.

The Fire Prince lay down on his back and gazed to the sky; he tried hard to ignore the merry laughter of his sister, giggling sound that sounded clear and free like a glass wind chime, that accompanied the more boisterous kind of his cousin. Zuko missed his sister sometimes. But, he would not let himself feel it. His self-imposed duty as the Blue Spirit was too important, he could not let himself be distracted by family.

He did not know how long they stayed there. He did not speak much, only occasionally joining in the other two's conversation. They had stayed in silent the last half an hour until Lu Ten nudged his shoulder. Zuko turned to him and between them Azula was curling into a tight ball under Lu Ten's outer robe, purring softly in her sleep.

Zuko was surprised to find one of her hands gripping his trousers, dainty fingers grabbing tight on his baggy clothing, as if she would not let go.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Hey, Zuko", Lu Ten called, cradling his baby cousin in his arms. "Stay with us. She's feeling lonely, you know."

Zuko stared at the peaceful sleeping face of the Princess for a moment.

He remembered the time when Azula would sleep in his arms instead, gripping the front of his garb tightly with her tiny fists. _"The best big brother ever!"_ the little girl had once declared, and she was his "_Little baby sister_."

"No", Zuko said; turning to Lu Ten, he added a little jokingly. "You snore."

Lu Ten scoffed and Zuko felt himself smiling.

He stepped closer to his baby sister and, leaning down, kissed her on the forehead and bid her goodnight in a soft whisper before retiring to his own room.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"When I woke up, I don't know…" Azula looked forlorn for a moment. "I just felt bad. I felt something is off. I don't know…" she trailed off. "So, I just took my emergency bag –a bit difficult because Lu Ten slept in my room and I kept my bag under my bed-, and I flew here. I stopped by your mansion since I thought you'd be staying there but I couldn't sense you there, so—"

"Wait, what do you mean sense? Did you put that tracing spell on me?!" Lin demanded.

"Yes. Anyway, I had to go to the town and asked around; I never came here on foot so, you know. Anyway, I had to mingle, hence the hair", she flipped her hair slightly. "And then, I got the direction and flew here. And I crashed into your room."

She concluded her story, taking another swig from her gourd.

"So… you… _flew_ across the ocean for me…?"

Azula bristled. "…That's not the point."

"Aww", Lin cooed. "You flew across the ocean for me…" he smirked, embracing the girl. "You love me."

"Interesting conjecture", Azula started but Lin kissed her on the mouth, cutting her midsentence.

"Yuck", Lin gagged. "Are you— Is this _blood_ I'm tasting right now?!"

"I flew across the ocean", Azula huffed. "Through two different storm! I'm dehydrated."

"Yuck!" Lin rubbed his tongue on his sleeve in disgust. "Eww! That's other people's blood!"

"Oh, you're such a big baby" Azula exasperated loudly, taking a different gourd from her bag. She drank from it, gurgled her mouth, and drank around two more mouthfuls. Breathing though her mouth onto her hand, she smelt no blood but took another sip for luck. Putting her gourd down, she linked her arms around Lin's neck and climbed onto his legs, straddling them. She leaned in and kissed him again. "Better?"

Lin gave a noncommittal grunt and kissed her viciously until the leftover taste of pineapple juice, the content of Azula's second gourd, disappeared between them and he could once more savored the sweet taste of her mouth.

"Wait a minute", Lin ended the kiss abruptly. "_Why_ are you here?"

Azula narrowed her eyes sharply. "Why can't you just be happy to see me?"

"Oh, baby, I _am_ happy to see you. That's not my knife handle you're sitting on, you know", Lin said with feigned seriousness.

"Dummy", Azula muttered, the corner of her lips curved up into a smile. She knelt up and leaned in and hugged his neck, pressing his head to her chest. "I'm here now."

"Azula", Lin said sternly, holding her waist. "Empty your pockets."

Azula shifted her eyes uncomfortably. "No", she muttered.

"Empty you pockets", Lin repeated.

"No!" Azula huffed to no avail as Lin wrestled her smaller frame to the ground, tickling her to weaken her defenses, and grabbed a handful of candies and chocolate bars from her pockets, most of them were only the paper wrappers.

"Azula", Lin sat up, chiding at the pouty Princess who was still lying on the ground, keeping the evidence off of her grubby hands. "You know what sugar does to you. Remember the last time you're on your sugar high? That tiger-shark nearly killed you!"

"I flew across the ocean!" Azula sat up, defending herself crossly. "I needed to rest along the way, okay! And I got a little hungry", she muttered the last part, shifting her eyes again. "I went through two different storms to get here. Aren't you at least happy to see me?"

Lin felt his breath catching his throat.

And he ignored it completely. He knew Azula well enough to know that she preferred to use the milder guilt attack as a form of offense against someone she did not register as enemies. "I'm glad to see you", Lin said earnestly. "But, are you sure this is okay? What if your family found out?"

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Zzzzz… uh, gotta pee", Lu Ten woke up suddenly.

Pushing himself up from the floor, he rounded the large bed where his baby cousin was sleeping, the long bundle under the blanket, and tiptoed to the bathroom. He did his business as quietly as possible; Agni knows his baby cousin needed her sleep, he thought. He remembered the time when little Azula was plagued by nightmare. There had been times when she would be too afraid to fall asleep despite having Zuko and Lu Ten sleeping by her side, faithfully guarding her.

Lu Ten slowly turned on the faucet on the sink, smiling at the vase of fragrant rose on it as he pondered on the function of the plant. Yeah, girls poop too; everybody knows that. He leaned in and sniffed it, and sneezed loudly as the result. Casting a wince at the direction of the room, he was hoping he had not woken his baby cousin who so desperately needed her sleep.

Tiptoeing his way back out, he glanced at the bed and sighed a relief. _Poor girl_, he thought. _She must be cold_. The Azula he knew did not like sleeping with her blanket pulled over her head. Lu Ten tried it once as a joke when Azula was little and she woke up crying.

Big Cousin Lu Ten walked back to his sleeping bag and, kneeling on the side of the bed, reached out to the blanket and pulled it down slowly only to meet a long hugging pillow with a childishly cartoony drawing of his baby cousin's grinning face looking at him.

Five full seconds passed.

"AAARRRGGGHH!"

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Don't care", Azula yawned in Lin's arms. "I'm tired."

"I know", Lin released himself carefully.

He drew a little distance between them and began undressing the girl. He took off her robe and let it lie in a heap on the floor. He worked his way on the girl's shoulder mantle and outer garb next, then her wristbands and her sash, the laces of her trousers, and her boots. He wrapped his arms around the sleepy girl's torso and Azula linked her arms on Lin's neck once more. Lin stood up, lifting the girl up with him, and Azula kicked off her trousers. Clad in only her halter top and panties, she hugged the boy tighter with her arms and legs and let Lin carry her to the bed.

Comfy in the soft quilt Lin covered her in, Azula felt her eyelids growing heavy and tired. She smiled a bit as Lin lay closer to her and kissed her tenderly on the corner of her mouth.

"Who fed you sugar?" Lin asked as he rested his head on a pillow, lying on his side to face his Princess.

"Lu Ten", Azula yawned, drawing her hands near her mouth; her ring glittered under the abundant of moonlight shining in through the gaping hole of the window Azula had busted through. She blinked and forced her eyes open. She studied the features of Lin's face before continuing. "I'm not flat, am I?"

"Hmm?" Lin frowned. "In what way?"

"You know…" Azula shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing", she rolled around, turning her back on Lin.

Lin drew closer to her, sneaking his arms around her. "Well", he smirked as Azula tensed at his touch entering the front of her halter and groping her breasts. "Hmm… no, not flat. Actually, I like them", he leaned closer, blowing and nudging away Azula's hair off her neck with his chin since her hands were currently occupied. With his teeth, he undid the bow knot of her halter on her neck. He dived onto the tender soft skin of her neck and breathed in, kissing and nipping; his hand blindly undid the other lace on the giggling girl's side. He pulled the undergarment off and rolled her to her back. Azula looked into his eyes with a soft glint in her eyes.

"And I miss them so much", Lin said, grinning. Leaning down, he kissed both mounds tenderly. "And I know they miss me too", gripping the soft flesh in both hands, squeezing them slightly, he cooed at them. "Don't you? _Yes, we do, Lin_", he did a funny voice. "_We miss you, even if Azula won't admit it_. Aww, I knew it. I love you guys so much. _We love you too, Lin_. I know you do. _Rawrawrawrawr_!" he dived faced first into them.

"Stop iiiiitt!" Azula laughed, playfully slapping Lin's back. "Pervert", she pulled a pillow over her naked chest.

Smiling, Lin kissed her lips tenderly. "I love you", he whispered before he rose a bit.

"I know", Azula replied, closing her eyes and pulled him down gently.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"You there! Search the ground on the western perimeter. NOW!" Lu Ten barked at the guards. All around the garden nearest to Azula's room, the guards were searching in groups. Zuko, sitting on a railing on the roofed walkway, yawned and did not miss the irony of the guards poking the bushes with their spears with at least one of them holding up a fireball on their palm. Seriously, what the hell did they think Azula was? A runaway rabbit-hamster?

"Enough already, Lu Ten", Zuko leaped down and stretched. "Azula's not kidnapped."

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM!" Lu Ten roared at him.

"Boys", a tired voice of Lady Ursa, accompanied by two maids bearing a lantern each, arrived through the walkway. "It's late. Lu Ten", she started patiently at the older Fire Prince who was still gripping the long hugging pillow in his arms. "How many times do I have to tell you? There's no such thing as the Ghost of the Blade of Wing Fung… _wow, that's a mouthful_", she muttered the last part. "That was just Zuko and Azula and their pranks."

Zuko blew his bang off his face nonchalantly.

"Aunt Ursa!" Lu Ten literally flew to her side. "Azula's been kidnapped!" he shoved the pillow to Ursa's face. The Lady frowned a little at the portrayal of her daughter by the cartoony drawing, and was puzzled by how appropriate she found the portrayal was.

"Lu Ten", she said kindly, shoving the pillow to the side. "Azula is not kidnapped. She's probably wandered off somewhere. Have you checked the stable? You did feed her a lot of sugar at dinner."

"And it's Azula", Zuko added sourly. "Who would want to kidnap her?"

"What do you know, you bad brother!" Lu Ten snapped petulantly. "Azula's a Princess! And she's a girl! She's so little and weak and defenseless! She's a prime target for kidnapping! If I'm a kidnapper, I will so kidnap her over you!" and he broke down a sobbing wreck at Ursa's feet. "Don't worry, baby cousin", he turned to the pillow, stroking the head of the face as he would real Azula. "Lu Ten's going to find you."

Prince Zuko, however, was no longer there to watch his mother pacify his crazy cousin. He was walking down the corridor to the garden with the cherry blossom tree.

"_Azula's a Princess!"_ Lu Ten's voice rang in his head as he crossed the grassy ground. _"And she's a girl! She's so little and weak and defenseless!"_

As he thought of the last part, the many images of Azula holding herself in a fight surfaced. Azula might be petite and small but she packed a wallop. Zuko had lost count of the many insurmountable odds that Azula had made… surmountable with the brute force of her bending and magic alone. She might have their mother's preference for subtle form of firebending but she could be the overwhelming force of flame their father was if she wanted to.

_Azula raced across the garden, strode towards the tree, and opened her arms wide, making a gesture as if she was about to embrace someone. From the shadow, a pair of arms embraced her back._

It really bothered Zuko so much.

His little sister…his baby sister… _his little baby sister_ was…

Some bastard dared _touched_ her!

He could feel his inner fire raging inside him. Turning his face into the fanged form, he accessed the acute sense of his vampiric bloodline. He sniffed the air around the tree for any leftover scent but he could register nothing but the heady fragrant scent of his sister barely lingering in the air. _"That girl wears too much perfume",_ he cursed mentally, unable to discern the scent of the boy, if any still there, masked by that of his sister's.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Lin woke up first. He was used to little sleep, being an assassin who for the most part of his mission was on the run from vengeful relatives of his targets. He closed his eyes and let his chi wash over his body; a particular technique he had learnt from his assassin training. He heard the faint flapping sound from the makeshift curtain he had made from a spare blanket he nailed to the wall over the broken window.

Lin sighed contentedly as he embraced the sleeping girl in his arms; Azula let out a soft moan and hugged back, slowly rousing up.

"Morning, Princess", Lin greeted in a whisper.

"Morning, dummy", Azula greeted back, nuzzling deeper into his chest.

"Aren't you going to make your move?" Lin asked, pecking the top of her head. "I mean, it's going to get busy in an hour or so."

"Don't care. Sleepy. Wanna sleep", Azula whined, not wanting to get up.

"Hey", Lin called, stroking the Princess' head softly. "I love you."

"I know", Azula replied tiredly.

Lin frowned at her. "Say you love me", he ordered.

"You love me. _Eeek_!" Azula shrieked as Lin poked her ticklish waist.

"Say it", Lin hissed, holding the girl tight.

"No", Azula defied, smirking as she was being squeezed in her lover's arms. "I want to sleep some more."

"No", Lin said, sitting up. "Time to get up."

Azula whined and buried her head under a pillow.

"Come on", Lin leaned down and landed lazy kisses on her arm and shoulder. Taking the pillow away, she tucked the Princess' hair behind her ear and redirected his kisses to her face. "Wake up."

"No", Azula said although she opened her amber eyes, staring into Lin's face, who lay back down in front of her.

Lin stared back into the soft and tender amber eyes of his sleepy Princess. "Say it", he said.

Azula shook her head lightly. With such struggle, she said. "You know I do."

"I know", Lin acquiesced, smiling. He leaned closer and pecked the girl on the lips. Brushing his lips against her; Azula did not kiss back. Lin, knowing what to do, simply broke off. Azula practically jumped at him, kissing him with all her might but also with gentleness that caught Lin by surprise.

"You're a dummy", Azula grumbled before she kissed him again.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Master Piandao sipped his tea calmly. Sitting across the low table was his former pupil scrutinizing his sword. A straight unadorned jian of seventy centimeters of blade and twenty five of handle, black ivory fitting, with thin stiff blade and no hand guard; the sword looked like cane sword on a glance. Lin sheathed his sword back and began fitting a handle cord on the scabbard. The boy had changed into his uniform; dark maroon cassock-like robe with frog fastening on the right side, brown trousers, but he was wearing boots unlike the rest of the students. Lin was born and raised in the Capitol Island and people wear boots there. Lin would never feel comfortable with shoes.

"Thank you, Master", Lin bowed slightly, setting his sword down reverently on the table.

"It is a beautiful sword", Piandao said. "A masterpiece."

The swordmaster got up and gestured to the door. Picking up his own sword, he walked to the training courtyard with the boy in tow. "By the way, I received a letter from my former student, Princess Azula. She will be arriving in a short moment. Come with me to receive her."

They walked in silence. Arriving at the main training courtyard, they were greeted by the sight of numerous students forming two neat formations on the right and left of the path leading to the mansion. Standing along the middle of the steps that led to the mansion were Piandao's seven senior students. Lin walked down to join them, standing between a tall muscular one-armed swordsman and a graceful longhaired lady.

A speck of dark emerged from behind the high cloud up in the blue sky. Murmur broke among the younger students as they noticed it. The speck grew closer and closer and they could see a large slender winged humanoid creature nose-diving down to the courtyard. The creature accelerated and landed gracefully in a puff of dark red mist in a flash. The mist dissipated slowly and Princess Azula stepped out of it.

Small and petite, but deceptively strong, the Princess smiled regally at Piandao and his senior students; she did not show any sign of noticing the two groups framing the path she was walking on. Raven hair up in a tight top-knot, with two flocks of hair framing the sides of her face, she was wearing a simple enough garb with armbands, shoulder mantle, and her tasset pulled up to the side and tugged into her sash. The Fire Princess was wearing her long blue jian, her bow and quiver of arrows on her back, her short red sword on her waist, and her travelling bag draping on her free shoulder.

Azula stopped at the bottom of the steps and put down her bag. Bowing a formal bow, she greeted the swordmaster. "Master Piandao", her voice smooth and regal, and respectful at the same time. "It has been awhile. I do hope the abruptness of my visit does not disturb anything", the Princess leered to the sides at the students.

"Of course not, Princess", Piandao nodded and walked down the steps. _She has not changed much_, the swordmaster thought mentally. He gestured two of the students to take the Princess' load, her bag and bow and arrows. Azula took her Azure in her hand as she walked inside with Piandao and Lin, who was pretending along with Azula, acting like total strangers they were supposed to be.

The Princess joined the swordmaster and two of his senior students, the one-armed swordsman and the longhaired swordswoman, and Lin in a brunch. Azula explained her visit as a simple courtesy visit, seeing that she had not visited her former master in years. Piandao seemed to believe it without any hitch. The Azula he remembered was a little strange, often doing things with no rhyme or reason. One time, Azula flew to the top of the mansion and stayed there for two days and two nights. Zuko had assured Piandao that it was normal and the best thing to do was to wait it out. Azula came down on the third day, claiming that she had found enlightenment and deemed it unworthy of her time, and retired to her room for, as she said it, a well-deserved sleep. Zuko voiced his suspicion that Azula came down because she got hungry since she found snack wrappers tugged under her pillow the next day he entered the room to wake Azula up.

Either way, the Princess had to be welcomed. Piandao had had his share of trouble with the government and wished for no more conflict with the throne.

The swordmaster mentally thanked his luck for Lin's well-timed visit. Azula was a bright talented student but Piandao had never felt comfortable around her. He likened the experience with being near a dragon mother nesting near her cubs. One false move, one misstep, and he would get it.

The task to entertain the guest, the swordmaster promptly (but politely) delegated to his former student. Lin was a noble born, he knew, and, among his senior students, only the twins shared the same status. However, to give the twins such responsibility is akin to smoking poppy leaves while operating an airship: a disaster waiting to happen.

So, after a rather intense brunch (Piandao was never talkative, his two senior students had not known Azula well enough, and Azula, the way Lin saw it, was tired and not in the mood for pleasantry), Lin found himself showing the Princess around the town at the latter's insistence. Azula had once again donned her hooded robe, leaving her Azure in her room and armed with Scarlet on her waist; Lin carried no visible weapons with him.

"You look funny", Azula commented at Lin's baggy attire. He was more used to the boy either in his fitting and practical garb or multi-layered noble robe; the most prominent change was the lack of sash. Lin yanked the Princess' hood down in retaliation and ran away from the scene, chased by Azula.

"What's that?" Azula asked, latching onto the boy's arm and happily sniffing the air as they walked into the marketplace, pointing at a stand where a vendor was firebending small stream of fire onto scrumptious looking meat on a line of metal skewers.

"Komodo-chicken strips", Lin informed as they approached and procured the snack. "It's pretty good."

The vendor detached one long piece of meat from one of the skewers with a giant two-pronged fork. He worked with excellent dexterity of hand as he sliced the meat vertically into paper-thin strips of meat and poured viscous spiced honey on them before bending another steam of searing fire at them. He received his five silver pieces and handed the cut-up meat in a bisected bamboo tube.

They walked deeper into the market and Lin smiled at how childlike Azula could be. When Azula told him the story of how she was not allowed out of the Palace at all for the first few centuries of her life, Lin had shown his skepticism. It was hard not to believe it now as he watched the Princess sporting this faint innocent smile on her face and a childish glint in her eyes as she witnessed and experienced the life of the common people.

"Let's go in there", Azula pointed at the weapons store at the side of the road.

They entered the modest establishment and Azula promptly let go of Lin's arm and strode inside as her eyes fell upon a red-lacquered recurve bow on display. The girl had a thing for stuff that shoots other stuff.

"Ah, the young lady has good eyes", the merchant approached them, rubbing his hands together. "This particular piece was made by the famous bowyer Zhou Tong, of the famous Zhou Family", the man took down the bow from its wall mount and showcased its unique qualities. "The limbs are a supple tiger-bull horn and cherry wood composite, the eagle-viper engravings at the end of the handle are pure silver, and the string is spider-worm silk.

"Spider-worm silk, you say", Azula inquired; Lin was not sure how to feel about her sudden smirk. "Perhaps a roll of that would interest me. I already have a bow."

"Oh", the merchant's face fell a little. "I'll get your bowstring", he stalked off to his storeroom.

"Speaking of bows", Lin started, picking up a kodachi and inspected it. "I got one from a Crow-Raven Brigand."

"Hmm", Azula arched a brow. "I might want to see it", she said. "I've heard they enchanted their bow with a spell that prevents their bowstring from snapping. I want to know if that's true."

They exited the store after having purchased a roll of spider-worm silk bowstring and a set of throwing stars for Mai ("_Her birthday's coming_", Azula had said) and resumed their incursion.

"Pet store", Lin informed, nudging his chin at the small shop where puppies and kittens were on display. Azula smirked and fed Lin a strip of meat before dragging him to the store.

"Dragons?" Azula asked with her puppy-dog eyes as they arrived in front of the store.

"Dragons are not available outside the black market", Lin sighed.

"Well…" Azula drawled, leering at the group of suspicious looking men at the harbor where the part of the market was situated, unloading cargos from a suspicious looking ship that flew no flag.

"No", Lin decided curtly, dragging the girl by the wrist into the store.

"Stingy old man", Azula poked her tongue at him and snatched the rest of the komodo-chicken strip.

Lin followed in, smiling at the Princess who had her innocent smile back as she tapped the case that held a clowder of bearded kittens.

"Kitten?" Lin asked. Azula turned to him and fed him her half-eaten strip of meat. "Nope", she said as she ventured deeper.

A commotion occurred from outside the store; a loud crash followed by shouting of men and roar of an animal. They turned to the direction of the harbor and saw a giant wolf creature the size of a small komodo-rhino growling and barring its fangs, ready to fight, standing on a pile of planks that used to be a crate that caged it, surrounded by men armed with pointy sticks and bending.

Azula shoved the bamboo container to Lin and raced outside; Lin tried to catch her robe but the smooth silk slipped past his fingertips. Mentally cursing the spirits, he strode quickly after the Princess. He arrived just in time to watch the noble end of the beast, the giant wolf with gray fur and dash of flame scarlet all over its fur and shading its snout.

Lin held the gasping Princess' shoulders as one of the men, the tall muscular man dressed in a dark coat, shot lightning at the giant wolf's back. The first shot left the creature writhing on the ground, alive but wounded and kicking; one of the men tentatively poked the beast's head with his stick and the beast snapped the wood in half with its jaw. The lightningbender shot several consecutive bolts of the cold-blooded fire until the wolf stop letting out its pitiful cry.

Azula gasped as the lightningbender caught a pointy stick one of the men threw him and, with a grin on his face, stabbed the dead wolf on the gut. Her fists balled up and she could no longer feel Lin's hands on her shoulder.

The next thing she knew, blue flame flew from her fist. The first blow took down the one closest to her. She raced across the street, jumped and landed onto a firm stance that supported her double finger jabs; two fire blasts took down two men. Furious barrage of blue flame defeated the rest of the crew until only two, including the lightningbender remained.

The two men exchanged look of amazement. The lightningbender nodded and the other men dashed towards Azula, roaring a battle cry. Azula dodged his flimsy fire blast and sent a large arc of blue flame with a lazy but sharp slash of her hand. The firebender was hit square on the chest and was sent flying backwards, colliding hard with a large crate.

The lightningbender gritted his teeth in anger and sent a charged lightning bolt. Azula caught it with her left index and middle fingers, and redirected it with her other finger jab. The Lightningbender's eyes went wide as his own lightning bolt hit him on the chest. Writhing on the ground, the man twitched as tendrils of leftover electricity ran across his system, hurting him much.

"Republic City?" Azula asked coldly without taking her sharp eyes off of the downed firebender.

"From the clothing and bending style, yes", Lin sighed. He had heard rumor of Republic City's anarchist movement towards independence but to think that a conflict with Republic Citizens would break out on Fire Nation soil, Lin felt uneasy. "Smugglers, I bet."

"What a disgrace", Azula muttered before she delivered a potent and authentic Royal Family lightningbending to the downed firebender, killing him in a most painful way judging from the scream.

The market grew quiet, almost reverently so.

Azula walked towards the dead wolf and knelt down. She caressed the snout of the giant creature and, tilting her head to hide her face under her hood, she muttered a silent prayer for it. Azula really hated feelings.

A soft pitiful whimper was heard from her side and she turned to it. A small pup was whining, its front paws on its dead mother's body, as if pushing it, trying to wake it up. Azula reached down to it and the pup bit her hand with its toothless jaw. Sighing, Azula retracted her hand and, more gently, reached to its head. She stroke the pup's small head with the back of her fingers and, after establishing rapport with it, she picked it up and cradled it like a baby in her arms.

"No dragons?" Lin asked softly, arriving by her side.

Azula turned to him with narrowed eyes. "This isn't over."

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Smugglers?" Piandao stroked his beard as he listened to the report from his two former students. "I see. I will investigate this."

"I'm sorry I didn't use my sword, Master", Azula muttered, stroking the soft fluffy fur of the sleeping pup on her lap. "I was…" she cleared her throat. "…angry. My instinct told me to let out some fire."

"I see", Piandao smiled. "Well, at least this pup is in good hand. Ember wolves are often hunted for their pelt."

Azula rose from her cushion, but not before accidentally brushed against Lin's shoulder as she got up. "I think I will retire to my room, Master. I'm still tired after my journey. There is no need to prepare lunch and dinner for me. I will sleep until morning."

Azula excused herself and left the dining hall. Lin, using his late arrival the night before and his broken window, also excused himself shortly after. The boy made his way to his room and, locking the door behind him, started working on his broken window; someone, Lin guessed Fat the butler, had left a toolbox and two new wooden window leaves in his room the replace the broken ones. In the middle of fitting the second window leaf, Azula arrived outside his window, levitating in the air with jets of blue flame under her feet.

She got in and wasted no time to play around with her puppy, while Lin worked on his window. Lying down sideways on a quilt she spread on the floor, Azula rested her head on her hand, feeding the wolf pup fire flakes from one of the bag she had brought with her; she had unloaded some of her belongings in Lin's room –some snacks, two bags of fire flakes, and a small wooden box which content she would not tell Lin- and carried only her clothes in her bag when she 'arrived' that morning.

"She likes fire flakes", Azula said, feeding s particularly large flake to the puppy.

"How do you know it's a she?" Lin asked as he hammered a nail on the window frame.

"Dunno", Azula shrugged, resting her head on her folded arm. The puppy crawled closer to her and sniffed her nose, making her giggle. "She's cute. I'm going to train her to be a war hound. That way, she won't…" _lose anyone she loves_. "…be hurt anymore."

"Do you even know how to train a war hound?" Lin asked flippantly as he finished his work. He walked towards Azula and sat down, pecking the Princess, who met him halfway, on the lips. The puppy riled up suddenly and, barking adorably, tried to push Lin away with its feeble front paws.

Azula snickered. "See. She's got the talent."

-B-L-O-O-D-

Lin woke up almost suddenly; something in his pocket vibrated. Carefully untangling his arm from Azula who was embracing his neck in her sleep, Lin fished the object from his pants pocket. The amulet the Blue Spirit gave him glowed with a faint red light before settling down. Putting the item back into his pocket, Lin embraced the girl in his arms gently, stroking her head and kissing her head.

Azula roused up slowly and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Almost sundown", Lin replied, pressing his forehead on hers.

"Where's my puppy?" Azula asked again, not moving.

"Behind you", they were sleeping on the floor, on the quilt. The wolf pup was curling and sleeping on the other side of the wide quilt, surrounded by empty bags of fire flakes. "Have you thought of a name yet?"

Azula grunted, shrugging and hugging tighter for warmth. "Something feels off", she said after awhile.

"We're not naked", Lin explained. Azula scoffed and hit him lightly.

"You should go have your dinner with Master Piandao", Azula said, still not letting go.

"But, I'm so tired", Lin whined like a little kid, nuzzling into Azula's chest. "I wanna stay here and sleep."

"No. Nope", Azula struggled with him. "Get up. Not fair, I had to wake up early and snuck out and flew back here. You go have your dinner now."

Sighing, Lin pecked the Princess on the mouth and cradled her up. He relocated the girl to the bed, undid her ruined top-knot, and tugged her in. "Night, Princess."

"Night, dummy."

-B-L-O-O-D-

Ember wolves are named so due to the dash of orange scarlet all over their naturally gray fur; like embers on a pile of ash. They were bred for war in the past. An adult ember wolf could grow almost as big as a komodo-rhino and twice as fast and agile, and it had deadly fangs and sharp claws. Strictly speaking, ember wolves are protected wildlife; centuries of war had diminished the population greatly.

Piandao was a respected figure in Shu Jing and, despite not being related to the government, the governor of Shu Jing and the people respected him enough for his and his students' martial prowess and considered him to be the unofficial city magistrate. Also, they knew that Piandao often hosted Fire Prince Iroh for tea and visited the Royal Palace on the latter's invitation.

By now, the affair with the smugglers and Princess Azula had reached the governor and he had made an effort to round up the cargo of many poached and captured wildlife and intended to return them to their natural habitat or a reserve, depending on the additional assessment of his team. The governor had also heard of an ember wolf puppy Princess Azula had taken with her. The pup was supposed to be rounded up and claimed by a government official (i.e. the governor) for further process. And since the Princess was Piandao's guest, the governor had delegated this task to the swordmaster.

Translation: you don't want to be Piandao right now.

The swordmaster sipped his cup calmly, sitting at his own table in the dining hall, pondering the task at hand while his numerous students ate and talked amongst themselves. Lin was laughing along with the twins, catching up after months of separation.

Really, Piandao did not know how he should proceed. Shrugging slightly, the swordmaster decided to drop the matter entirely. After all, the Princess of the Nation had the right to claim the wolf pup. Besides, who could better raise such creature but a Princess whose wealth could ensure the pup to be brought up without want. He hoped the governor would subscribe to this logic too.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Lin peeked through the slit of his window; the night was cloudy. The assassin turned to the bed where the Princess was sleeping soundly; Azula did look paler than usual once she wiped that lipstick of hers, Lin thought. The girl was lying on her side in the bed, facing inward with the pup sleeping near her face.

She looked so adorable when she slept.

After making sure she was really sleeping, Lin stood in front of his desk, aligning his back on her. He took a piece of paper and set it on the surface of the table. With one of his throwing knives, he made a shallow cut on his thumb and, taking the amulet and putting it on the middle of the paper, he let the dark red liquid drip onto the gemstone from the top opening. The Blood Ruby absorbed his blood and small pools of red mist emerged from the dragons' mouths at the bottom. The mist settled around the amulet and formed a neat calligraphy on it.

_This is to test the amulet. Send a hawk to General Ron Zu to confirm this message reached you well._

Lin rolled the letter and put it in his drawer; he would do it later when Azula was not around. Azula had her ways of showing that she cared and Lin would rather she did not involve herself in this affair. He still had his suspicion on this Blue Spirit character and he knew that if Azula got wind of his involvement with the known vigilante, it could be disastrous. Heck, it _would_ be disastrous.

He felt tired and his sudden vision of a red dragon flying around the Royal Palace, roaring in the sky, was not helpful at all. He plopped down in his bed and almost fell asleep the moment his blanket covered up his shoulder.

"You had a vision", Azula called with no trace of sleep in her voice. Lin turned to her and saw her eyes wide open on the other side of the bed. The puppy too woke up but, blinking weakly, fell back to sleep. "I can feel the magic lingering on you. It felt like you."

"I didn't know magic has some sort of distinct feel", Lin smiled.

"It does", Azula sat up, picked up the puppy, and set her down on the floor. She moved closer to Lin and they embraced each other warmly. "Tell me."

Lin sighed deeply, pressing his mouth and nose on the top of Azula's head, taking in the sweet scent of her hair. "Dragon", he said, breathing into her hair. "Flying in the sky, circling over the Royal Palace."

"Really?" Azula asked, not stirring. "That's a good omen."

"You sure", Lin frowned. This was one of the times when he was being rudely reminded of how he and Azula belonged to different generations. Lin, like many boys of his generation, paid little respect to superstitions and spiritual stuff.

"Maybe", Azula sighed and squirmed closer. "Or it could just be my great-grandpa's dragon. Is it red?"

"Yeah… actually, it is", Lin frowned deeper.

"It could be Fang", Azula said. "Maybe it's the past you're seeing. They said when Zuko was born, Fang suddenly flew and danced in the sky over the Royal Palace. They considered it a good omen."

"Did Fang dance for you when you were born?" Lin asked interestedly.

"No", Azula pouted; she smelt blood and took Lin's injured thumb. "He was away with my great-grandpa to the Earth Kingdom for some official business. They missed my birth."

The Princess sat and stretched her arms over her head, yawning. "Did you get your sword back?" she asked, leaning her back on the headrest, reclaiming Lin's still bleeding hand and sucked his thumb.

"Yep", Lin freed his healed hand and hugged her stomach, sighing contentedly.

"I wanna see", Azula said, stroking his arm. "Where is it? Gimme."

"There, on the table", Lin pointed at the black sword that was almost invisible in the dimly lit room. Clearing his throat, he pointed his hand at it, ready to recite his spell. Azula gasped and pushed his arm down. Lin turned to her and she was scowling.

"Don't play around with magic", Azula slapped his arm miffily.

"Oh, come on", Lin scoffed but Azula hit him again.

"No."

"But, it's just—"

"No. Bad Dummy!" she slapped his arm again. "Bad dummy!" still scowling, she aimed her palm on the sword and the weapon flew across the room to her hand. "It's heavier than I thought."

"That's what I said to myself", Lin grinned, nuzzling onto Azula's stomach and patted her subtly- and well-toned abdomen under her nightrobe.

"What are you trying to say exactly?" Azula asked in a dangerous growl.

"Nothing! You're beautiful", Lin rose up to his defense with a grin on his face.

"Please remind yourself that I'm holding a sword right now", Azula unsheathed the word a little to emphasis the threat.

"You wouldn't hurt me. You love me", Lin cooed as he sat up and pecked the girl on the cheek.

"Dummy", Azula slammed her back a little roughly on his chest, letting him claim her in his arm. Giggling as Lin kissed her neck and jawline, the Princess drew the sword free. "I recognize this sword. Are you related to a vigilante they called the Dark One. Always wearing black clothing and robe, not even wearing a mask but his hood was never off."

Now that Azula thought about it, most of Lin's clothes were primarily black with maroon outline.

"Just between me and you", Lin squeezed the girl tightly. "He was my great-granduncle. My grandfather was supposed to take over his vigilante work since he is the head of the family after my great-granduncle but my grandfather is not even interested in swordsmanship."

"I fought the Dark One once", Azula reminisced. "It must be about seventy or eighty years ago. We were investigating a serial killer in the Red Pearl Island. We tailed the suspect to a train and boarded it. We were undercover; Zuko and I played brother and sister, and Mai and Ty Lee were lesbian lovers."

She chuckled. "My idea."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised", Lin commented.

"Anyway", Azula shifted for a more comfortable position and inspected the gleam of the blade. "The Dark One suddenly appeared and killed our suspect. We just assumed that _he_ was the real killer and we fought him. There was panic and Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee got caught up with the crowd. I followed the Dark One to the roof of our train car and fought him there. His style was fast and his defense was unbreakable", Azula waved the sword around, feeling the awkwardness of her grip on the long handle. "I blasted him off the train and assumed he was dead."

"He wasn't…"

"No, he wasn't the killer", Azula sighed. "We investigated the dead man's house afterwards and found incriminating evidence in his basement. The Dark One was after him too apparently."

"He couldn't have died", Lin thought aloud. "My grandfather often told me that he died a year before my father was born and my dad is only thirty-something."

"I suspect as much", Azula concurred. "Your great-granduncle was light on his feet. He bent burst of flames below his feet to allow him to glide on the ground and even jump high. It was hard hitting him and the shot that sent him flying was a lucky one."

"I never knew you have a history of violence with a member of my family", Lin joked. "It's going to be difficult for them to accept you. Let's elope."

"Hmm, yeah, sure", Azula sheathed the sword and held it to her chest, looking up to meet Lin's warm kiss with hers. "Let me turn you?"

They smiled and kissed.


	10. Chapter 10 - Sword

**Chapter 10 – Sword**

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Steel danced around him, slashing, stabbing, cutting the air, whistling a beautiful tune of death. Nightshade had found a maser once more. The Dark One was one of the most talented swordsmen in history, one of the very few masters of weapons who could incorporate bending art to support his weapon skills, not the other way around. Using weapons to help with bending is child's play.

The blade was seventy centimeters of straight double-edged blade, stiff, subtle, and reasonable supple. The handle was twenty five and, like the scabbard, was made of unadorned black ivory. The wielder of the blade will have his or her skills truly tested. Swords are the weapons of killing; unlike the case is with a spear, a staff, or even an axe, it is near impossible to subdue an opponent with a sword.

Nightshade's long handle had earned it the nickname 'Shield' from the famous swordmaster Jian Wu as it allowed the wielder to parry and counter-attack an opponent's blow almost effortlessly. To use Nightshade, a swordsman must be in touch with his passive side, his Yin. His aggressiveness, his Yang, would be curbed down and it truly takes a master to bring it out when the time comes wielding Nightshade.

For the past few decades, Nightshade had been in the safekeeping of Master Piandao, as the Dark One had no successor to take up his mantle (literally, his mantle; the Dark One was one of the few vigilantes who wore no mask and was famous for his long flowing hooded robe and the fact that no one had ever forced the hood off of his head), Lin the twenty-forth, the Dark One's alter ego passed down his sword, not his mantle, to one of his swordmasters, Jian Wu.

Jian Wu, a vampire, was there at the last moments of his mortal pupil's dying breath; Lin the twenty-forth had been raging a losing battle against a disease of the liver that ate him from the inside. One of the most powerful warrior ever unknown in history (Lin the twenty forth, to keep his vigilante identity hidden, had portrayed a shrewd but pacifistic war strategist) taken by an invisible foe.

Truly a shame, Jian Wu still thought whenever he got drunk; the Dark One was his best drinking buddy and whenever the swordmaster indulged himself, he would always offered a toast for his departed pupil and friend, and filled an empty cup to a brim that would remain untouched in honor of his friend.

Piandao reminded him a lot of the Dark One when the latter was young; brash and impulsive but put a sword in his hand and he transformed into calm and serene wielder of the blade.

When Piandao finally opened his school, Jian Wu sent him the sword for safekeeping. Jian Wu was the Imperial Sword Instructor and lived in the Royal Palace. Hosting a blade that had belonged to the vigilante who, at some point, had fought two of the royalties at the same time would not be good for him. He remembered when Prince Zuko and Princess Azula came back from that particular mission. Prince Zuko had recounted on how Princess Azula fought the Dark One all by herself on the roof of a moving train. Prince Lu Ten had voiced his concern rather vocally and called for a nationwide manhunt on the Dark One for the crime of endangering his cousins. Jian Wu had been a swordmaster for more than two millennia and rarely did his blood run cold from fear.

Admiral Jeong Jeong was privy of his uncle's more shady side and had refused blatantly to resume his fight against injustice from the shadow. Like many wide-eyed young lads the admiral had been, he was more interested in the more glorified ways of serving his country. Fire Nation had always been good at the war effort and recruitment department; despite being the smallest of the three Nations that actually has armed forces, Fire Nation had more soldiers and more advanced war machines than the other two Nations.

Jeong Jeong had done more than just refusing to take up his uncle's fight. He had made sure no one from his family could. If it came out that the admiral was related to a known vigilante who had earned the ire of half the Royal Family, the repercussion would be dire. The Dark One knew of his nephew's fanatics towards his military career and how his vigilante work might be detrimental to it, and sent his sword to Jian Wu.

Years passed and the Dark One had been forgotten in history.

And yet, there it was. The blade that had once been a nightmare for those who dared commit injustice.

Lin concluded his form and bowed reverently to his master. Piandao nodded approvingly and gestured to the right side of the long stone bench he was sitting on; Princess Azula was sitting on his other side with the small puffy-furred pup on her lap.

"A most fascinating style", Azula commented airily, stroking the napping puppy with the back of her slender fingers. "I never know one could combine one-handed and two-handed style that way."

"It's the sword", Piandao replied as Lin arrived at the bench and sat down.

"And I never knew the firebending prodigy of the Lin Family is studying sword", Azula inclined her head gently to Lin. "Please forgive my manner for not asking earlier yesterday; I was exhausted from the journey."

"Not at all, Princess", Lin answered just as quaintly. "I was exhausted myself. I had just arrived hours before you do in the middle of the night. And my sleep was disturbed by a… _raccoon-rat_ entering my room and smashing through my window."

"Fascinating", Azula smiled sweetly but glared dangerously when Master Piandao was not looking.

"How is Prince Zuko nowadays?" Piandao asked; Fat entered the private training courtyard on the top of the hill overlooking the sea, bearing a tray of tea and two plates of snack.

"My brother is doing fine", Azula answered sweetly. "He's apparently been courting a Young Lady Mai for quite some time now."

Piandao shot a frown at Lin and his unexpectedly spluttering the tea in his mouth.

"Sorry, spice", Lin choked. _Dear Agni, she really did it!_

Azula smirked slyly at Lin; Piandao, who knew nothing better, resumed the pleasant talk, completely missing the subtle jabs Lin and Azula exchanged with each other.

It cultivated in a friendly spar when the three talked about one thing they had in common: swordsmanship. Azula's preference for the rare form of dual-jian-wielding and Lin's unorthodox style, the way Piandao saw it, intrigued each other; Azula and Lin had known of each other's sword style for years but they played their part well.

Lin held his stance firmly; Azula had hers loose and light. Nightshade's blade was the regular stiff, but it was suppler than the regular thick blades that are designed for war. Azure was a fencing jian: a straight double-edged sword with thin blade, designed in such a way that the blade was thicker at the part near the handle for defensive purposes but paper thin at the rest to the tip for slicing (not cutting) and stabbing; a near obsolete weapon in the field of war but an elegant aristocratic sword for urban fight in the hand of a master. Scarlet was a thick-bladed short sword Lin had at first guessed was for defensive purpose only. Most dual-wielders he had encountered used one weapon to attack and the other to defend.

Azula, however, though she favored her right hand, was ambidextrous. Lin had never sparred with Azula before and the occasion he witnessed Azula's prowess in swordplay was few. Azula herself rarely carry her swords with her when she was doing her job. Lin used to own a ninjato as part of his standard regalia. One time, Lin was tailing his target skulking among the foliage, the sword he strapped to his back kept making noises, brushing against leaves and twigs and getting stuck on branches. When the blade finally broke against an earthbending attack, he had not requested a replacement.

Lin shifted ever so slightly, Azula moved a step to match his gracefully. Azula had not always known Lin to be a swordsman. When Azula had met him that time in the pirate hunt, Lin had already lost his sword. She remembered the boy armed only with a dagger in his hunt and thought he was crazy. Sure, Azula herself brought nothing but her bending but she had absolute confidence in her skills that had been honed in numerous lifetimes.

His patience was boundless, Azula commended. Well, he was dating _her_, the most finicky person in the entire universe. His eyes were almost glazed, focusing on nothing in particular; the best kind of defense is when a person does not assume how or when the opponent is going to strike and simply be ready for it. That way, the defender will be ready for all kind of attack. If you are expecting a slash but your opponent stab instead, your opponent will catch you by surprise.

Azula decided to deliver the initial strike; courtesy, of course, she mentally facepalmed. She was a Princess, he was a nobleman; he was showing courtesy by allowing her the first strike. Strange, Azula thought as Azure flew in a straight trajectory aimed at Lin's neck. Whenever she was with Lin, she had never thought of herself as a Princess; she was just… Azula. And she did not realize it until now.

Lin parried the blade up with a two handed grip; Azure's blade vibrated at the collision. Scarlet came next in a plain side slash and Azula took advantage of the force of the collision to bring Azure back into the offense with a diagonal slash, aiding Scarlet's attack and transforming it into an expertly done double slash. Lin evaded the whole attack by leaping backward.

Azula did not let up on her offense. She delivered blows after blows, soft and fast; Lin parried each one effortlessly with simple movements, keeping his blade closed to him. Scarlet, the smaller blade but the heavier hitter, failed to break the defense. Azula had to admit that Nightshade was a well thought-out creation. The handle made it easy to parry attacks and the blade was thick enough to hold against a hard blow but thin enough to wield easily. Lin was no Dark One though. Azula noticed his defensive tendency, unlike the Dark One's more aggressive style.

Lin's offense came unexpected to Azula; one second he was holding his sword vertically to hold against Azula's side slashes, the next he flicked his wrist and the wicked tip of the blade flew to Azula's face. The Princess let her knees buckled and bent backward, letting Nightshade sailed over her face and her back touched the ground. Returning the flow of strength back to her lower extremities, Azula rose a little into a crouch and rolled forward; she knew Lin could take the advantage of her position and she would not be able to react fast enough to defend herself.

She leaped to her feet and assumed her stance; Lin was apparently waiting for her. Courtesy.

Smirking, Azula relaxed her stance. "Shall we make this more interesting?" she asked, flicking her wrists; her signature blue flame coated her blades.

"As you wish", Lin smirked back; her bright orange flame erupted on his blade without him moving a muscle.

Firebending would always be his first weapon.

His large flame arc held proudly against Azula's double blue flame slashes. The two Elements collided and thick smoke erupted only to be washed away by the strong autumn wind. They dashed sideways, sending blasts of fire from their slashes, not taking their eyes off of each other while getting further away from their non-bender master. Piandao watched with mild amazement of the way his two former pupils exchanged long-range blows with their bending-infused swordplay. He clearly did not teach that.

Something touched his thigh and he looked down at the puppy standing on its front paws on his leg, looking up with pleading eyes. He ignored the wolf pup in favor of Azula's refined twin flame whip failing to break through Lin's thicker wilder flame. The puppy whined and Piandao turned his attention back to it. Sighing, the swordmaster picked a piece of dried moon peach and fed it to the pup that had climbed up to his lap. He stroked the puppy's head while the small creature ate, doing it in such adorable way, and had to admit that it was fluffy and soft and warm. No wonder Azula took a liking to it.

Lin parried Azula's numerous blasts with his sword and flame, closing in the distance between the two; Azula mimicked his advanced. Soon, they were within less than a foot away from each other and brought their battle into a close-quarter combat. Flame met flame, steel clashed with steel. Lin slashed fast and true, Azula ducked and was unprepared to evade the next lightning fast attack. She raised Azure to defend and Lin twisted the blade upon collision with his expertly; a disarming technique he had learnt from his senior, the one-armed swordsman.

Lin spun the blue jian with his sword and flicked it away to the side; Piandao, who was sitting at the direction of the flinging sword, picked Azure's sheath that Azula had put on the bench and caught the tip of the blade in the opening before it hit him, returning the blade to the sheath with that one simple and calm movement. He propped the sword against the bench and the puppy descended to the bench seat and began nipping at the sheath; Piandao took it away from the puppy's reach and scooped the little fluff ball up and put it to his other side before setting the sword down again.

The advantage of the duel ahead was a little unclear. Azula might have lost one of her swords but any neophyte in swordplay knows that in such a close-quarter combat, shorter sword has the advantage; Lin's had his Nightshade up and ready but Azula now could focus her attention on Scarlet and he knew not how good Azula was in using one sword.

Lin soon found himself being pushed by Azula's expert handling of the short blade, switching from one hand to the other as she danced, jumped, and spun like a celestial dancer, sending blow after blow of the sword and her flame with little visible effort. Lin finally decided to use his bigger frame and heavier weight to advantage; parrying Scarlet with one hand, meeting Azula's flaming hand chop with Fire Breath, he lunged and grabbed the Princess' waist with his other hand and wrestled her to the ground.

Azula gasped as her back met the ground, not as roughly as she thought it would be since Lin held her up at the last second and settled her down gently, holding Nightshade's blade across her neck, lying on top of her.

"You lost", the boy grinned, his breath hot on her face.

Azula smirked, not at all minding the position they were in, pressing onto each other thought they might be. "More like a draw, actually", she corrected, tapping Lin's back with Scarlet, telling him that she could have pierced his spine.

"Not bad", Lin smiled, drawing closer.

"You, too", Azula smiled, ready to close her eyes if only to appease her thumping heart, wanting the kiss he was dangling over her, literally dangling over her with their faces so close and the tips of their noses brushing against each other lightly.

The wolf pup, totally misreading the situation barked with its high-pitched puppy sound. Lin and Azula came back to reality and Lin got up, rolling to the side, sitting and exhaling loudly from his mouth; his fingers brushed on hers as Azula sat up and she felt Azula pinching his finger lightly with hers. Lin got up to his feet and held out his hand for Azula. The Princess delicately took it and let the boy help her up.

They walked back to their master to store their swords and, in Azula's case, pacify the cranky pup. Excusing themselves, they returned to the mansion and parted ways with polite words and gesture. They walked to their own respective rooms, going on a different direction.

Piandao, left in the courtyard with his drink, thought the two of them would make a cute couple.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula was occupying a guest room; her old room was taken. Currently, the Princess was playing a most beautiful sounding flute. The heavenly sound of the instrument penetrated the red door of the room. Students who were loitering around after lunch were captivated by the sound. They lingered outside the room in a respectful distance. Azula was still a Fire Princess in their eyes and they had to keep their distance.

Among them were the vampire prankster twins Yung and Rei, who, after a short conversation to decide who they should go to first, Lin who was their bother-in-pranks, or Azula their sister-in-pranks who had the authority to access any military arsenal, chose to go to Azula first.

"So beautiful…" Yung gushed at the sound of the flute and, like everyone around, was completely oblivious that Azula was currently perching precariously on the small narrow side roof under Lin's window, knocking on the window impatiently.

Lin entered his room, rubbing his damp hair with a red towel; he guessed correctly that Azula had been knocking for awhile now. Quickly locking his door behind him, he strode to the window and opened it to a rather upset Azula and her puppy.

The small wolf pup leaped from Azula's arms to Lin's face, tackling the yelping boy to the ground and Azula leaped in, taking care to land gently on Lin's stomach.

"That creature is rabid. You need to get it vaccinated", Lin muttered at the wolf pup that sauntered away to a patch of sunlight on the floor, coming through the transom.

"Aw, don't be jealous", Azula cooed, tapping Lin's nose. "You're still my favorite", she kissed the tip of the boy's nose and got up. The Princess walked to Lin's wardrobe and extracted the wooden box and her bag of fire flakes from under Lin's clothes.

"What's in the box?" Lin asked, drying his hair.

"Stuff", Azula sang, walking to the center of the room with the wooden box, fire flakes, and a small gourd. She clicked her tongue and the wolf pup ran to her. Kneeling down, Azula ripped open the fire flakes bag while the wolf stood on its rear legs, front legs on Azula's thigh, wagging its tail and tongue.

"Hand me a bowl", Azula ordered. Lin got back to him with a large bowl and damp towel draping on his neck. Azula poured half the content of the large bag into the bowl and put the rest of it in the bag down. The wolf pup promptly feasted on its lunch and Azula scratched its small head lovingly. "Where's your sword?" Azula asked, handing Lin the bowl.

"You still haven't told me why you're here", Lin said while he walked to his bed to get Nightshade; he missed the sight of Azula tensing up in a fraction of second.

"I'm bored", Azula replied flippantly as she uncapped the gourd. On her knees, she poured the content of the gourd, viscous dark red blood, on the floor carefully, turning on the spot and making a perfect circle. She made a smaller ring inside the first one with six inches space between them. Getting out of the circle, she began drawing arcane symbols that she recalled from memory.

Lin, tying his ponytail back up, was amazed by Azula's neat handiwork and the fact that she could recall so much detail from the magic circle. Then, he reminded himself that Azula was nearly fourteen hundred years old and spent the first few hundred years of her life learning Ancient Magic. Plenty of time to memorize the numerous arcane circles and symbols, spells and rituals.

"What are you doing?" Lin asked as Azula got up, smirking at her work. She gestured with her hand and Lin threw Nightshade to her.

"Waiting for the blood to dry", Azula replied lightly, unsheathing Nightshade and putting it carefully in the empty center of the circle.

She walked back to Lin with the gourd and wooden box, sitting on the floor leaning her back on the bed's foot by Lin's side. Azula drank the rest of the gourd, swallowing less than a mouthful before the gourd was empty. Frowning, she lifted the gourd up above her opened mouth and shook it lightly; nothing came out. She took a peek inside the gourd and then shook it with both hands. Lin was smiling at how a fourteen-year-old-looking girl looked like a four year old child who had just drank the last of her sweet juice but still wanting more.

Azula grunted and even that sounded like a petulant child. She sighed and put the gourd away; taking the wooden box onto her lap, she rested her head sideways to Lin's shoulder. Lin's reflex kicked in, looked away, and held out a hand. "Don't kiss me!"

Azula pounded his lap with her fist. "I wasn't going to", she said, smacking her lips.

She opened her box and inside the compartmentalized interior was an assortment of stuff; some solid looking rocks with strange coloration, some colorful powders, and some other stuff wrapped in a wax casing.

"So, this is your big secret? A box of candies?" Lin asked dryly.

"It's not a box of—"Azula began miffily but stopped to take out her dried fruit candies and peanut bars and relocated them to the fire flakes bowl. "It's not a box of candies", she huffed. "It's a box of magical ingredients. I'm going to enchant your sword, okay?"

Lin felt his brow quirked; his sword was a family heirloom. But, he knew that Azula had her own way to show that she cared. "Okay", _what's the harm in it?_ "What kind?"

"Hmm…I suppose you don't want anything fancy", Azula hummed, hovering her finger over the many ingredients in the box. "Let's see… I can give it the ability to repair itself; I put this enchantment on my swords", she picked up a lump of red rock with milky white lines all running all over it. "Volcanic marble and powdered Blood Ruby", her eyes darted to a compartment holding a pile of blood red powdered crystal. "It will have the ability to absorb metallic substance in blood and use it to repair itself."

"Handy", Lin commented, embracing the girl by her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder, enjoying her flowery girly scent, and the warmth she radiated. "That sounds so vampiric."

"That's why I like it", Azula said smugly. "What about… hmm, will you be open to a spell that alters the shape and look of the sword?"

"No", Lin muttered, closing his eyes and squeezing the girl in his arms briefly.

"The spell that makes it thorny is a no then", Azula's orbs darted up as she searched for more idea. "Hey, I noticed your sword smoking a bit after the firebending attack. Moon steel…" Azula lifted up a slab of cool icy-blue metal. "…will make it heat resistant. And perhaps diamond powder to preserve the edge. You won't have to sharpen it too often."

Lin suddenly thought about the Blood Ruby in the ring Azula was now wearing in her left index finger –she did not wear it in public, Lin had noticed- and the amulet he kept in his pocket (he sent the letter as per his instruction on his way to the bathroom). "Hey", Lin started. "What about a spell that can be activated at will? You can fix a trigger in the sword or something."

"No", Azula scowled. "Activating magic uses the caster's energy. It's dangerous."

"It's just a tiny bit", Lin reasoned, smiling amusedly.

"Well, yeah, a little here, a little there. Before you know it, a-a… a rabid monkey-boar breaking into your room and mauling you to death!" Azula turned her scowl to his direction.

Lin found the way she puffed her cheeks and pursed her lips cute.

"Rabid monkey-boar?"

"Fate is a crazy b*tch!"

"Language, Princess", Lin muttered, smiling warmly as he leaned in for a kiss. Azula closed her eyes slowly and tipped her face up. All of a sudden, Lin pulled away. "Oh, almost forgot, blood. Icky. No kissing."

"Dummy", Azula giggled as Lin kissed the tip of her nose and got up. The boy walked to his wardrobe and changed into a simple sleeping garb of sleeveless shirt and baggy shorts. He returned to Azula who was already at the magic circle, standing over it, inspecting it with one arm crossed on her chest and her free hand holding on to a chocolate cookie she was nibbling.

"Will it be loud?" Lin asked.

"A bit. Oh, shoot, the door", she turned to the door quickly and cast her standard anti-intruder/eavesdropper/peeper/pest/Ursa incantations. "That's a close one."

"You're off your game lately", Lin walked to the bed, kissing the top of her head as he walked past. Sitting at the foot of his bed, the wolf pup came to him, sniffing and licking his bare foot.

"I'm not", Azula huffed, crossing her arms and pouting, not at all intimidating with a cookie crumb on the corner of her mouth. "I'm just still tired. I cast a difficult spell that makes a musical instrument play by itself before I came here."

"Ah, the old 'delicate, demure, and feminine Princess' trick. I thought you only use it against your mom", Lin snickered.

"Time changed", Azula popped the rest of her cookie into her mouth and rubbed her fingers to get rid of the crumbs. Smiling, Lin got up and walked to her. He embraced the girl from behind, feeling Azula's back melting on his front. He leaned down and gave the girl an open-mouth kiss on the corner of her mouth, licking off the cookie crumb. "What about a Mastery Enchantment?" Azula suggested. "The sword will recognize your touch and your touch alone; nobody else will be able to touch it."

"Hmm… could be tricky. What if I have to let someone hold it for me?" Lin pondered aloud, pressing his mouth and nose on the soft creamy-white skin of Azula's neck; she might look gorgeous with her hair down but Lin had to admit the top-knot allows more access.

"There are a lot of option", Azula advertised, tilting her head to give Lin more space. "I can set it so that the edge will dull and the sword is nothing more than a piece of blunt metal when you're not holding it."

"No", Lin drawled. "I can think of many ways things could go wrong."

"So, just the standard self-repair and permanent sharp edge? That's boring", Azula baited.

"And heat resistance, don't forget that one. You suggested that one, remember?" Lin reminded her. Azula mentally facepalmed.

"Yeah, of course. I thought I said that already", she evaded. "Anything else. Come one, we've got to start before the blood gets all crusty."

"What about…" Lin sucked in a breath, thinking hard. "I don't know… give it an ability to shoot laser beam or something. _Uh_, please… give it the laser beam magic."

"That's Activation Enchantment. So, no", Azula scowled at him; sometimes, she regretted ever teaching Lin magic. "Remember the monkey-boar thing? You _cannot_ use magic!"

"Stingy", Lin poked his tongue at her; Azula caught it in her mouth and licked it with hers. Yelping, Lin raced to his nightstand where he kept a pitcher of water and a goblet.

"Yuck! Blood!" he gurgled and spat into the goblet, looking disgusted. He even shot a stream of flame from his fingertips and let it glazed on his tongue.

Smirking at her revenge, Azula began the incantation. Holding a hand over the circle, the blood smear began to glow a bright red light. Nightshade slowly rose to the air, hovering vertically, suspended by the magical power.

One by one, the ingredients she had lined in the circle floated up; the lump of volcanic marble, the pile of powdered Blood Ruby, the piece of moon steel, and the pile of diamond dust. They glowed their distinct reddish-orange, blood-red, icy-blue, and sparkly-white color respectively, dissolving into the magic and transforming into pure energy. Soft hum was heard over the process.

The reddish-orange volcanic marble and blood-red Blood Ruby mingled and slowly floated to the sword's blade, coating it and seeping into the surface. The icy-blue moon steel flew next, also seeping into the core of the blade. The sparkly-white diamond dust floated slowly and dispersed into a long line that encase the cutting edge of the blade like a sheath. It took longer for the diamond dust to settle in and seeped into the edge of the blade.

The humming quieted down gradually and the red light from the circle died down. Azula stepped into the circle and grabbed the sword, still suspended in the air, by its handle. She picked up the scabbard from the floor and sheathed it.

"Done", she called, smirking proudly as she walked to the bed to join Lin. "Now, what do I get for going through this trouble?"

"Well", Lin, already lying in the bed under his quilt, tugged the part covering the other side of the bed invitingly. "Come and find out."

-B-L-O-O-D-

"*sniff*… I know she's been playing non-stop for hours and all", Yung began, lips quivering. Yung resumed. "…but, it's so beautiful."

The whole hallway shushed them.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Let's leave", Azula suggested softly, shrugging her naked shoulder to beat the cold, her bare leg was out of the cover, draping over Lin's legs. "Let's go to your family mansion. It should be less people there."

Sighing, she climbed on top of Lin, lying on her folded arms on his chest, smiling as Lin pushed her long hair off her face. "Better yet, let's go to Ember Island. It's warm and my family's summerhouse is completely empty."

Lin said nothing, simply looking into the bright amber of her eyes.

"I love you", he said.

"I know", Azula replied, evading his eyes.

"Say it", Lin tugged her chin gently with his finger, aiming her face to his. "Please."

Azula felt a flush washed over her face and it made her want to cry and her lips almost quivered. "You know I do", she muttered, closing her eyes and sighing. "That should be enough."

Lin smiled sadly. "Yeah… I guess it is."

-B-L-O-O-D-

Zuko opened his door, ready to begin his day at such lovely afternoon.

Lu Ten was sitting at his doorstep, hugging Pillow Azula, rocking back and forth like a lost child.

"Cut it out, Lu Ten", Zuko began bluntly. "Azula is not kidnapped. She went away somewhere."

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" the older Fire Prince snapped angrily, flame erupted from his ears.

"Her emergency bag is missing", Zuko pointed out for the umpteenth time. "And the Royal Magicians said she went to the Magic Observatory to borrow an enchantment kit in the middle of the night. She's not kidnapped."

"You're a bad big brother!" Lu Ten accused angrily. And childishly. "Go and get kidnapped somewhere! I won't care about you!"

Gripping his throbbing head -he drank quite a lot after he got to his room-, Zuko left the spot and wandered off on automatic to the dining room. On the way to the kitchen, he ran into the reason for his smile.

"We need to talk", Mai started without so much as a warm greeting. When Zuko got within range though, she kissed him on the cheek.

"If it's about Azula screwing us up, you're gonna have to wait. She's missing", Zuko said without a touch of concern.

"Really?" Mai showed so subtle a change in her expression even Zuko was not sure if there really _was_ a change. "I don't think she's kidnapped. Where has she gone off to?"

"I…"

_A pair of arm came from the shadow of the cherry blossom tree, embracing Azula._

"… don't know", and Lu Ten called him a bad big brother. "Lu Ten fed her sugar, remember? Who knows where she'd turn up in this time."

They arrived at the dining hall where Zuko promptly devoured everything the servants brought him; Mai had refused meal and sat there, watching Zuko ate with a bored expression.

"You don't seem overly concerned", Mai stated plainly, playing with a piece of meat with a chopstick. "In fact, you don't seem concerned at all. Where is she?"

"I don't know", Zuko said with matching brooding tone. "Azula can take care of herself. I'm sure she's out there making somebody's life miserable."

-B-L-O-O-D-

"W-wait, wait, _waiiit_!"

"No."

Giggling and struggling and shrieking, Azula could not do much, tied up to the bed by her wrist that she was, when Lin assaulted her sexually.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"That's not what I want to talk to you about", Mai sighed, taking an apple from the fruit basket and began peeling it with her own knife. "It's about us."

Lu Ten's tiny voice flared to life inside Zuko's mind; he had never been close to his father and his uncle was often away, and Lu Ten had been the one who gave him the _talk_. Lu Ten had once warned him that when a girl said those three words Mai had just said (or its other variants) Zuko must brace himself for impact. Or run away, whichever more probable; it depends heavily on the venue.

Zuko knew how crazy his cousin was and chose to ignore his advice.

"Okay", he frowned, taking a piece of meat from the plate with his chopsticks.

"Your mom and grandmother sent me stuff", Mai sounded like she was complaining. "Some jewelries and silk dresses. I don't think they know that the other sent me some stuff too. Anyway, they're welcoming me to your family."

She cut up her apples into tiny pieces. "My parents are quite happy though. They're already consulting an astronomer to set a date for the wedding."

That got a response from Zuko; the Fire Prince choked on his meat.

Mai stabbed her knife on the table and lazily reached out to the coughing Prince by her side and stoked his back gently.

"What are you going to do about this?" Mai demanded.

"Why me?" Zuko took a drink form his cup. "My sister is currently missing. Don't I get a special consideration for this one?"

"No", Mai replied curtly. "Especially since you're sitting on your butt when you could have done something to find her."

She looked at her boyfriend sharply to convey her meaning.

Zuko got it. "I've done something", Zuko said seriously, putting down his bowl. "Her scent ends at the Astronomy Tower."

"High place", Mai said. "If you didn't find her splat on the ground, I would assume she flew."

"And only the Royal Family can transform into the Higher Form", Zuko concluded, began eating again. "She must have left on her own accord."

"You could have done more", there was a certain sharpness in Mai's voice that only Zuko could notice.

Zuko met her severe amber eyes and sighed. "I _have_ done more", he muttered softly, wary of prying ears. "I checked with every shady tavern and bars and no one had said anything about a Princess being kidnapped."

"Zang Hei Sect must still be out for her blood", Mai reminded him.

"Zang Hei was still recuperating from a battle", Zuko said, unsure of why he actually felt reassured. "I used them to get Ruon Jian."

"What did you with him anyway?" Mai asked, frowning.

Zuko whipped his head towards her direction, suddenly furious (and jealous). "Why would you care?!" he demanded heatedly, slamming his fists on the table.

Mai was unfazed.

"No reason", she shrugged nonchalantly. "Just curious. Is that wrong?"

Zuko clenched his jaw, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore. He simply got up and stormed off, leaving Mai sighing with a touch of boredom.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Pervert", Azula sniffed, her wrists still tied up over her head on the headboard. "You just practically molested me. That's a crime. I'm reporting you to the police."

"Hmm, yeah", Lin sighed contentedly, landing his head on Azula's chest, and snuggling close as he lay on top of her. "You're the one who wanted to be rewarded."

Azula turned away, humph-ing, ignoring the boy who teased her neck with his finger. She blew her annoying untied hair that had fallen over her face to no avail. "Hair", Lin pushed the flock of raven off of her face. "Okay, continue", Azula said and began dry sobbing again.

Lin chuckled and squeezed her a little, embracing her by the torso, enjoying every bit of her petite frame his bare skin touched. He rested his face of the girl's soft and warm chest, kissing her collarbone. "You make my life less grim."

"I know. I'm the best thing that has ever happened to you", Azula said smugly. "Dummy…"…for making her chest go all fluttery.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…untie me."

"No. I'm not through molesting you", Lin smirked, hand already roaming the sensitive part of the girl's inner thigh.

"Pervert", Azula squirmed, giggling, clamping her legs. They snuggled –well, Lin did- again and simply enjoyed each other's presence. After awhile, Azula called. "Hey?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm not flat, am I?" she asked timidly. And begrudgingly.

"Haven't I answered that already", Lin smirked. He repositioned himself, falling to the side and slumping against her, throwing the cover off, displaying the girl's naked chest. "Let's see", he began, tracing a finger on the girl's mound; Azula squirmed and but her lip to prevent the smile from forming. "They're soft but firm and you have beautiful skin", he traced his finger to the tip, running his finger slowly around her areola and tweaking her nipple gently. "And I love the color of your nipple. It's light and doesn't clash with your skin tone."

He looked up to the blushing Princess, squirming up to her face and kissed her gently on the cheek. "As for the size", he rested his head on top of hers, his right hand sneaking up to cup Azula's left breast and gently squeezed it. "They're perfect", he said, kissing her again. "Just like the rest of you."

Azula exasperated. "Oh, damnation", she grumbled.

"'_Oh, damnation'_? Who still says that?" Lin sniggered. Azula ignored him.

"You just have to go and say all those stuff to me", Azula pouted. "Come on! We're doing _it_ now!"

"Yay!" Lin squealed. "Really?"

"No", Azula dry sobbed. "What is wrong with me?! I mean… shouldn't I want to do it?" she spluttered. "I do want to do it! B-but… it's… I don't know", she pouted. "I just… can't", she turned to Lin, looking downcast. "You must be mad at me sometimes."

"Why? Because you're not a tramp?" Lin snickered, pecking her on the forehead.

"Oh, great, the forehead. The platonic zone. You're breaking up with me", Azula felt like crying for real.

Lin laughed. "Breaking up with the most beautiful, the smartest, the funniest, craziest girl on earth? I hardly think so", he smiled warmly. "I love you", he pecked her on the lips. "And your boobs are not flat. I mean, seriously", he gave the boob he was still gripping a jiggle. "_How_ in the name of sweet Agni do you fit them in your armor?"

"I wear tight bindings", Azula said in her whiny voice, smirking amusedly.

"Aw, poor babies. You're suffocating them", Lin playfully chided the girl. "Here, let me kiss them better."

Azula giggled against as the boy slide down and molested her breasts for the umpteenth time that day. After giving each one a thorough round of pleasuring oral stimuli, Lin went up again and kissed the girl tenderly on the mouth.

"Hey", Azula called again.

"Hmm?" Lin smiled. Oh, the smile… it got to her.

"I…"_sayitsayitsayit!_

"Yeah?" Lin drawled, still smiling.

"Ng… nothing", Azula mumbled, closing her eyes. She could not bring herself to look him in the eye. _I love you_, she said, finally said, in her mind, knowing that it was true in her heart.

It should be enough for now.

It must…

It had to be…

A silent tear escaped her closed eyes, as she savored the sweet kiss of her lover.

…she loved him.


	11. Chapter 11 - Home

**Chapter 11 – Home**

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

The Blue Spirit stalked the night. The letter sent to General Ron Zu, a little known figure in the Archive Department, whose rank was more honorary than actual, had arrived and the Blue Spirit had snuck into the good general's office and retrieved it before the general could.

No need to bother the general with this.

The Blue Spirit walked through the tunnel of the sewer system below the foot of Caldera, relying on memory as he navigated through the unlit dark tunnel ahead. Twist and turn he passed through without mistake. There were numerous rooms at the sides of the tunnel; storage rooms holding old janitorial items, locked rooms hiding weapon and armor catches, rooms with bars occupied by cobweb and occasionally long-dead remains of the criminals imprisoned there.

In one of the rooms with bars and absolutely no lightning, he had stashed Ruon Jian. The vampire youth who looked like your average teenage boy was tied to a torture table, sprawled with metal clasps holding his wrists and ankles, clad in nothing but a pair of pants. His eyes were blindfolded and a slow dripping transfusion of blood kept him alive and away from Blood Coma but weak enough to attain full consciousness. The Blue Spirit closed the door behind him and walked to the bag of blood. He twisted the tube lock and hastened the flow of blood, squeezing the bag a little to help the flow.

Ruon Jian gasped and woke up, eyes wildly scanning the room as the blood entered his system. He coughed and hacked, gasping a lungful of air. Groaning and grunting painfully, he scanned the room still, eyes adjusting to the nonexistent light. Suddenly, a single torch above the doorframe in front of him lit up, a small flame that cast enough light to illuminate the face staring at him by his side. The face of a blue oni.

"You…" Ruon Jian gritted his teeth, trying in vain to access his vampiric powers; blood deprivation made it impossible, like forcing oneself to run in the state of extreme exhaustion. "I should have known."

"What are your plans towards the Royal Family?" Zuko rasped, roughing his voice.

Ruon Jian scoffed. "I thought the Blue Spirit doesn't speak."

"Don't be foolish", the Blue Spirit scoffed and drove a thin long metallic pike into the captured vampire's side, making the latter scream loudly in pain. "Tell me what I want to know. What are your plans?"

Holding gasps of pain, Ruon Jian resisted indignantly.

"Fine", the Blue Spirit left the pike and pulled out another one from his garb and pierced it into the spot above the first one. "I can do this all day."

Ruon Jian screamed and trashed around as the Blue Spirit grabbed the two pikes together.

"Tell me!" the Blue Spirit roared, yanking the pikes hard. "Tell me your plans for the Royal Family!"

Ruon Jian screamed.

"Tell me who killed Captain Yung Li!"

"ARRRGGHH!" Ruon Jian screamed louder as the Blue Spirit pierced his gut with another pike.

"Tell me who killed Merchant Li Zu!"

"AARRGGHH!"

"Tell me who kidnapped Princess Azula!"

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula gasped, awaken from her sleep. Groaning, she gripped her head and slowly sat up, catching the blanket before it slid off her naked breasts completely. Lin grunted and was woken up by the movement.

"Hey", the boy said, rolling to his back, rubbing his eyes. "Bad dream?"

"Something like that", Azula sighed, sitting up, resting her back on the headboard. "I was playing Pai Sho with Ty Lee and then Zuko and Lu Ten made out. Eww…"

Lin snickered. Sighing, he heaved his head onto Azula's lap. "It's just a dream", he said, hand sneaking into the blanket towards Azula's thigh, rubbing the velvety smooth skin of her leg.

"Yeah", Azula smiled weakly, stroking Lin's hair. Looking out the window, she added. "It's still night, you know."

"Really?" Lin smirked, hand sneaking up to the girl's inner thigh, caressing the soft warm part near her womanhood, relishing in a soft moan Azula failed to suppress. "We must find some way to kill the time until the sun rises, then."

Azula whined though she did not resist that gentle hand much. "I wanna sleep", she pouted as Lin rose, hand still teasing near her slit, and kissed her gently, guiding her back to the bed.

"We can sleep anytime we want", Lin said in between the kisses. "I'm planning to go bounty hunting for Master Piandao. Then, I'll stay another night and return to Caldera with you. I can be your escort."

"You think of everything, huh?" Azula smiled, craning her neck up instinctively as wave of pleasure invaded her left nipple on account of Lin's tongue.

Lin sucked and lapped slowly, drawing circles with his tongue, feeling the soft nipple of the Princess harden in his mouth. He emerged and said. "I would've made a good war strategist", before he moved to the other breast and gave it the same treatment.

"Yeah, sure", Azula moaned as Lin's finger pressed her clit. She reached down and grabbed that finger gently, guiding it in stroking her opening, letting it push deeper but keeping it safely outside her innocence. "Like you need an excuse."

-B-L-O-O-D-

Mai stirred in her sleep, awaken by thirst. She pushed her cover off and gripped the hem on her nightrobe on her chest, pulling them close. She sat up slowly and her dark amber eyes scanned the dark room, waiting for the disorientation to subside. Sighing, she got down from her queen-sized bed, taking care to step lightly. Tom-Tom had kept the whole household awake, crying his tiny lungs out whenever someone as much as sneeze audibly. An irate Mai had relocated to her summer chamber up on the seventh floor of her family's pagoda-shaped mansion, three full floors between her and the noisy baby.

One would think a baby vampire would grow after ten years; most born vampires grow out of their baby phase at a pace similar to regular human. But, nooo…. Little Tom-Tom had to be one of the rare few, whose babyhood dragged on and on. It had been almost a decade since Tom-Tom was born and his head was not even fully haired yet. And, Agni, he was noisy…

Mai's parents were elated, though. Slow growth through babyhood was rare for pureblooded vampires but those rare few were known to have grown into figures of great renown; like General Lu, the Maelstrom, the best and most respected war general in the long history of Fire Nation, or Fire Sage Mazu, one of the best firebending master and the wisest Sage ever, or Yu Yan, the Jade-Eyed Archer, or even Fire Lord Azulon himself.

There he goes again, Mai thought bitterly, temple throbbing. The glass of cool blood in her hand did not help much. She crouched down and opened the cabinet on which the pitcher of blood and several crystal glasses were located, and took out from among the many small jars and bottles a little ceramic vial containing fine white powder.

Dumping some of the powder in her blood, watching the liquid hiss, twirling her glass a bit to mix it, she pointedly ignored the ray of moonlight entering her spacious room and the Blue Spirit's abandoning his attempt at stealth once he found out that she was awake.

She heard the clicking of wood she guessed was Zuko putting his mask and sword on her nightstand. Drinking a sip of her sweetened blood, she padded her way back to the bed where Zuko was slumping tiredly. Mai sat down and scrutinized her boyfriend, taking another sip.

Mai sniffed the scent lingering on Zuko. "Did he talk?"

"Not much", Zuko grunted. "No words on Azula or the dead agents. I did get a lead from him", Zuko fished a small emblem from his garb and gave it to Mai, shaking his head at the glass of blood Mai offered him.

"Hmm", Mai grunted as she laid her back on Zuko's chest, relishing in his arms circling her frame; she lifted the black metallic circular emblem to the moonlight and inspected the engraving. "Raven-Crow Brigand", she whispered

"Yeah. I have to investigate further. The Raven-Crow was among the group that showed up to attack Ruon Jian", Zuko said, pushing Mai's long untied hair away and nipping the girl's neck.

"They say the House of….aaahh…" Mai moaned, squirming and enjoying the sensation of Zuko's hand fondling her right breast and finger penetrating her vagina. "House of…" she moaned harder as Zuko's finger rubbed her spot and she felt her muscle tightened around Zuko's finger. Her hand reached up and captured Zuko's head on her neck gently, her other hand found Zuko's other hand on her breast. "…Lang… aahh… they're supporting… …the Brigand."

"House of Liang?" Zuko set the girl down, behind her still, pinning her down, and he began to pull Mai's robe off, exposing her shoulder and arm.

"House of Lang", Mai corrected in a breathy whisper as Zuko rained down small kisses on her bare shoulder and back. She let him do the job, like always. Zuko always did all the heavy lifting; one would think that a pampered Fire Prince was beneath doing things like undressing his lover painfully slowly, teasing her back and shoulder and the nape of her neck with that hot kisses, fondling her sizeable breasts with those grubby hands, tweaking her light brown nipples with those fingers, and thrusting his finger deep into her freshly shaven vagina.

Lying now on her back, completely naked, Mai held Zuko on top of her lightly, letting the Prince slide down to her chest and stimulate her breasts.

"House of Lang", Mai managed between her moan of pleasure. "The…" a sharp cry cut her speech as Zuko lightly bit her nipple; she pressed his head down her breast, squeezing his face on her mound, not wanting him to stop. "… the silk merchant… ahh… fam—… family…"

Without warning, Zuko entered her; hot hard dick burrowing into her slit. He was in a bad mood, Mai noticed as Zuko pounded into her hard and fast right from the beginning, her breasts bounced up and down fast, and she barely had time to brace through the wave of pleasure and slight pain. Mai knew she was going to bruise a little from this night session of lovemaking. Zuko showed her no quarter despite her scream and gripping the bed sheet tight. Then again, she screamed his name and begged him not to stop, to go harder even. The day had been uneventful and Tom-Tom had been a pain the butt; she needed this as much as Zuko did.

"Zuko!" Mai screamed, eyes squeezed shut and head whipping as orgasm claimed her; Zuko did not stop for her.

The Fire Prince bent down and took her nipple into his mouth once more; Mai grabbed his head in her arms and held him tight. With his superior strength, Zuko lifted the girl's tall thin frame up and lay on his back. Mai sat up strugglingly, short respite did little to her strength. Zuko let Mai rode for awhile, he himself was gathering strength. Then, he bent his legs and pushed himself up on his feet a little, lifting Mai up, and began pumping her hard and fast. Mai collapsed on top of him in a heap of frail flesh and hot sweaty skin; Zuko held her and pounded mercilessly into her until he came inside her.

Heaving tiredly on top of Zuko, Mai let Zuko's hands roamed free all over her hot sweaty skin. "Is it okay to be that loud?" Zuko asked.

"Really? _Now_ you asked?" Mai grumbled.

Zuko cringed inwardly; he was off his game. He should have been more careful. "Mai?"

"Yes, Zuko", Mai sighed openly, rolling down to the bed.

"We… _are_ getting married, right…?"

Mai mentally rolled her eyes. "Do you ask that to all _noblewomen_ you just fucked?"

-B-L-O-O-D-

The ember wolf pup whined in its sleep. It rolled to its back and its front paws jabbed the air as if fending off an invisible attacker. Its new mistress crouched down by its side and pulled a part of the bunched cotton robe over its small body. The pup rolled to its side and slept through it all.

Azula got up and released the messenger hawk bearing her letter to Zuko. She stared at the waning fiery orange at the distant dark blue dawning horizon for a brief moment before she closed the window. Gathering her sleeping robe around her chest to ward off the cold, the Fire Princess walked towards the bed and climbed up quietly; Lin was sleeping, sprawling on his back. Impishly, Azula crawled down and settled by his side, at his waist.

She bit her lip as she settled down on her front, feeling the ticklish feeling on the robe rubbing her vagina and hardened nipples; she wore nothing underneath her robe. That said, Lin himself wore no underwear, completely naked under the cover.

Well, it _is_ time to wake up, Azula reasoned as she poked the boy's placid manhood a little, giggling softly. Master Piandao's students got up pretty early to do chores or early morning stretching.

Smirking, Azula poked the penis once more. She liked playing with it when it was small. She found it adorable, like a baby chick. Azula moved closer to it and licked the tip. Lin did not stir, so Azula took the tip into her mouth and sucked gently, stroking it with the tip of her tongue. Lin grunted pleasantly but did not wake up. Azula slipped her tongue into the foreskin and stroked the head, causing Lin to jolt a little.

Azula pulled away and turned to Lin who roused up finally. "Morning, sleepyhead", she purred.

"Is it morning?" Lin rasped.

"Mm-hmm", Azula nodded. She returned her delicate fingers back to the boy's manhood and began playing with it. Stroking the shaft as it grew big enough, she held her hair up with her other hand and began sucking gently, lapping at the head.

She gave him the full treatment, letting him release in her mouth.

"You're the best", Lin sighed as Azula lay on his chest.

"Pervert", Azula smirked, facing down, she traced a deep scar on Lin's chest. "Can I come with you on the bounty hunting?"

"Sure", Lin said, playing with Azula's ponytail. "I can use some backup. Plus, I wanna try my sword."

Azula chuckled. "That'd be… oh, shoot!" she shot up suddenly, groaning and gripping her head. "The spider-worm bowstring! I completely forgot about it. Urgh!"

"That's okay", Lin reached to the girl's arm and pulled her down to his chest. "Your bow's not going anywhere."

"It's not for my bow", Azula huffed, head tucked under Lin's chin. "It's for your sword."

"How's that?" Lin frowned.

"Spider-worm silk, when combined with powdered Blood Stone, will have the bloodsucking effect of Pure Life Force Absorption Enchantment", Azula explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and, to be fair, a few hundred years ago, Ancient Magic enjoyed quite a golden age of popularity. "It can absorb Life Force in blood and feed it to the wielder."

"Allowing me to refuel my Life Force that got lost from my magic. Nice", Lin commented.

"It can even keep you alive forever, if you kill people and steal their Life Force often enough", Azula added, still grumbling.

"Really? Why don't people just use this enchantment instead of turning themselves into vampires then?" Lin asked curiously. There must be a catch.

"As people grow old, the Life Force needed to retain life grows significantly larger", Azula explained. "There was this warlord, Wu Shi, the Undying, a human who had an enchanted axe. He lived to two hundred years old something and had to kill like fifteen people every day to stay alive. Also, there's the oversaturation effect. Sort of like conditioning your body to pain; the more you experience it, the less you feel the effect."

"Oh", Lin simply said.

"But, I thought, you know, it'd be enough to hold until I can convince you to let me turn you", Azula huffed again.

Lin smirked. "You love me", he surmised, pleased with himself.

The corner of Azula's mouth tingled. "You're a dummy."

-B-L-O-O-D-

Ty Lee was humming cheerfully, bouncing as she walked through the hallway, a bunch of purple autumn lilacs in hands. She sniffed the flower deeply, loving the sweet scent of morning mingling with the deep fragrance of the lilacs. The young acrobat –well, for vampire's physical standard- beamed as she approached the door at the end of the hallway. Ty Lee was sure Azula would appreciate those flowers; the Princess might be cold and hard on the outside but Ty Lee knew she was a big softie inside.

Besides, Ty Lee had thrown quite a tantrum over the vial of blood incident, during which Azula had forgotten that she had a vial left when Ty Lee was in a desperate need of one, Ty Lee was sure she might have hurt Azula's feelings somehow. She called Azula a big meanie!

Ty Lee knocked on the door twice, small knocks. She pushed the door open, expecting Azula already up; Azula was always up with the sun and the sun had shone with a semblance of dignity over the dark cloudy autumn sky. Ty Lee was expecting Azula in there, up and working on her morning kata practice where the Princess would rehearse her firebending kata in a very slow motion and low stance, clad in her shorts and bindings in her room.

The window would be open and Azula would be under a patch of sunlight, the breeze of the early morning would flow past her, fluttering her soft raven hair that, Ty Lee guessed would still be in the ponytail, and thin layer of sweat on her skin, glistening under the golden ray of sunlight… her subtle but firm muscle would show under her velvety soft creamy white skin of her legs and arms and taut stomach… with a thin layer of sweat… glistening under the sunlight… and the breeze… it would carry her scent… sweet scent of her—

…*gulp*…

Ty Lee certainly did not expect to be jumped at by two burly men in full Royal Procession regalia and bagged in a burlap sack, screaming and kicking to no avail. The next thing she knew, she was thrown out to the floor at the feet of a royal prince.

"Wait… you're Ty Lee", Lu Ten frowned, easing up on his stance… hiding the small wicked looking axe behind his back quickly. "My Lady, are you alright?"

Spiting petals of lilacs, Ty Lee received Lu Ten's… _oh_, so strong but gentle hand, and hoisted herself up. Dusting her pants, she noticed the two burly men in their full Royal Procession regalia behind her and yelped.

"T-t-they attacked me!" she pointed a wavering finger at the two, latching onto the Fire Prince.

"Ah, yes, that…" Lu Ten cleared his throat; Ty Lee suddenly realized that she was grabbing the Prince around the neck with her arms and settled down, looking nervous. "I assure you, it was a complete misunderstanding. Perhaps as an apology, the fair Lady would allow me the honor of her company in a nice… breakfast?" Lu Ten flashed his winning smile that had, as he often boasted to Azula and Zuko, melted the hearts of Agni-knows-how-many ladies of the court.

"Um…" Ty Le giggled a little, blushing. "Okay."

"Lovely", Lu Ten whispered, offering his arm to the girl; Ty Lee took it and together they got out of Lu Ten's room. Lu Ten tossed his axe to one of the guards on the way out.

The two burly men in complete Royal Procession regalia looked at each other; one was holding the axe and the other shrugged.

-B-L-O-O-D-

General Iroh sipped his tea calmly and sighed contentedly. He put down his cup and poured himself another cup; Ursa refused the refill.

"And you are sure Azula was really kidnapped", Iroh wanted to be sure.

Ursa, sitting across the table in the lawn where the sun was quite scarce and the autumn breeze was biting, held her fluttering hair and nodded. "No words after a day, it's not like Azula. I am worried."

"Have you told anyone about this?" Iroh asked again, picking up a piece of peach tart, completely unfazed by the cold as Ursa sourly noted; she herself was rubbing her arms under her sleeves.

"Lu Ten found out about it and he made a fuss during the night, waking Zuko up", Ursa reported. "And he woke me up too. He was really distraught."

Iroh shrugged, sipping his tea. "And Ozai?"

Ursa snorted.

"Good call", Iroh commented. "Knowing my brother, he would either tear down the country looking for his precious little girl or tear the girl a new one for allowing herself to be kidnapped in the first place."

"Or both", Ursa grumbled.

Iroh smiled understandingly at Ursa's dilemma. An overprotective father of her children and a non-caring (the way she saw it) brother of her daughter, Ursa would definitely not seek assistance from her husband or son. Lu Ten was not an option, Azulon and Illah would probably not care. Sometimes, Iroh wished his wife was still be alive if only for Ursa's sake. They would be great a friend and ally to each other, he knew.

"I will consult some of my acquaintances. They have eyes and ears every—"

"Mom!" Fire Prince Zuko came running to them across the lawn, nearly making the two older royals jump in their seats. Zuko bowed briefly at the two and pulled out a letter from his garb. "Mom, Azula sent a letter. She's in Shu Jing all along."

"What?!" Ursa snapped. "What is she doing in Shu Jing?" she demanded, snatching the letter of Zuko's hand. "'_…seeking Master Piandao's advice… swordsmanship… couldn't cut through Chan's gut fast en—'_ ….Oh, Agni…" the Lady sighed deeply, grimacing as she put down the letter. "What is wrong with my daughter…?"

"I ask myself that every day", Zuko muttered as he turned around and walked away. "Now, can one of you tell Lu Ten to get off my back?"

-B-L-O-O-D-

The four of them stalked the clearing from atop the hill; Lin had been made the leader of their bounty hunter team, leading Azula and the twins.

"Are you sure you're up for this, Azula?" Yung asked, his Yang, the white jian, strapped on his back. "I mean, you've been playing that flute all day and night. Did you even sleep?"

The Princess and the assassin fought the urge to turn to each other; they had completely forgotten about it.

"Yes, of course I slept. I cast a spell on the flute to make it play on its own. I like a little music when I sleep", Azula countered. "Now, how shall we deal with this? I was told that this Jing Zhi had no accomplices."

And yet, below the hill was a small camp occupied by ten hooligans, among them was Jing Zhi the large brigand, clad in thick leather armor with fur trim and a large gada, a mace with circular and pointy head, strapped on his waist.

"We can try the classic two layers", Rei suggested, unsheathing Yin, his black jian that was strapped on his back a little. "You have your bow", he nudged his chin at Azula and her wine-red lacquered reflex bow on her back. "Lin has his bending", he shrugged at the boy clad in his usual dark garb and hood, with Nightshade strapped on his back. "Yung and me will take the front, you guys support us from the rear with long-range."

"…Really?" Azula narrowed her eyes dryly at the twins. "That's all you've got? I was expecting more from the so-called Twister of Pranks."

"Twi_n_ster", Yung and Rei corrected. "You know, cause we're twins", Yung added, grinning an identical grin with Rei who said. "And we do have something else in mind."

The twins turned to Lin on Azula's other side with a mischievous glint on their amber eyes.

"I'm not gonna like this, am I?" Lin asked.

No, Lin did not like playing a bait and he liked it even less when Yung and Rei literally kicked him off the hill; Rei grabbed onto Nightshade and yanked it off its sheath the moment gravity claimed their brother apprentice.

Lin rolled down the hillside and fell down in an unceremonious heap of robe and dirt. Groaning, smarting all over, he sat up and found himself the center of attention of ten or so bandits. "Damn brats", Lin cursed under his breath as he got up and dusted his clothes. "When I come into power, those two will be the first to go."

He soon found himself running for his life, ducking flames, arrows, and axes as he tore through the forest. He saw a red flash that was Azula perching up on the trees and two black flashes that were Yung and Rei disappearing into the woods ahead. They had used this move before; a long-range attacker on the higher ground, the rest ready for ambush, and a bait luring the preys to a…

Azula shot an arrow with a rope tied to it; the other end of the rope was tied to the base of a tree at the other side of the path where the arrow had lodged.

…tripwire.

Lin skipped across it and ran ahead a feet or two; one or two bandits survived the tripwire, including Jing Zhi and his large gada. All metal and its head was the size of a cantaloupe. Lin instinctively reached over his shoulder for his nonexistent sword. Growling, he punched a fire blast instead. Jin Zhi, the large muscular man, stepped back and raised his gada, defending against the fire blast. The two lanky men behind him advanced and tackled Lin to the ground.

Well, he had bought enough time for Yung and Rei to cast the net and secured the rest of the bandits, at least. The twins moved to join the fight, confronting Ying Zhi and his huge gada.

Lin did not like that weapon; past experience had left him with broken ribs.

Yung and Rei's swords clashed with the fugitive metal gada and Lin noticed that they were evenly matched; Azula had their backs, so they would be fine. Lin could afford to focus on his own fight. It was an unfamiliar feeling, fighting alongside people. His line of work afforded him few instances where he would fight alongside an ally. There were times when he hired or manipulated people to help him in battle but they were no more than baits or sacrificial pieces. But, these were his friends. He had to care for their safety and it was very strange to him.

A bandit was pinning him down by the waist and the other one drew away, pulling a knife free. The second bandit knelt up and was ready to plunge the knife on Lin's chest; an arrow from Azula knocked the blade off his hand. Lin breathed flame from his mouth, catching the bandit on his face. As the burnt bandit scampered away, screaming, Lin channeled his firebending on his fingers and slammed his claw-fist down the back of the bandit who was wrestling with him. The bandit screamed and let go as sharp burning pain invaded his back, Lin kicked him away hard.

Lin sprung up and unleashed a barrage of righteous fire at the bandit, sending him flying to the tree behind him, hitting it hard. The burnt bandit from before lunged at him; Lin sidestepped and landed a spinning kick at the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. Turning to the battle near him, he rolled his shoulders and jumped into the fray, kicking fire at Jing Zhi who defended with his gada, and catching Nightshade as Yung, who had been fighting with both the sword and his, tossed him the blade.

Lin joined them and took the center spot; his fast and precise style suited the vanguard position with Yung and Rei flanking at the right and left. Without warning, Lin lunged ahead, delivering a wicked horizontal slash. Jing Zhi stood his ground and their weapons clashed; Yung flew to the left flank, ready with his blade, Yang. Yin and Yang were identical in design and were fencing jian; Yang's supple blade bent at the collision and the tip scratched a line of Ying Zhi's arm.

Rei came next with a flurry of thrust; Yung aided his brother in the harassing. Lin took the chance to glide behind Ying Zhi's back and took a wild slash at him. Ying Zhi, with speed that his huge frame hid very very well, turned around and slammed his arm to Lin. Nightshade held against the metal plate bracer but the force sent Lin flying to a bush.

Groaning, Lin got up; just in time to see Azula dropped from the tree above on Ying Zhi's back with a huge rock. Getting up, the Princess threw the rock away, dusting her hands, smirking at the fallen prey.

"You guys are so…" Azula began, poking the down bandit with her toe. "…impractical."

"I was gonna try lightning", Lin grouched, sheathing his blade.

Azula simply smirked.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Piandao looked around to make sure he was completely alone in his study; Fat might be big but he made almost no sound when he moved. He looked around once more, just to be sure. Then, smiling, he reached down and tickled the puppy's gut. The wolf pup rolled to its back and kicked its rear leg, enjoying the pampering.

Chuckling, Piandao resolved to get himself a puppy. Perhaps the local pet shop would have a goat-retriever; Piandao had always been impartial towards animals with horns. The door of his study creaked open and in walked Lin and Azula. Pleasantries were exchanged with the Princess and soon they found themselves around the low table where tea was served.

Lin was briefing Piandao about the hunt while Azula played around with the pup on her lap, giggling slightly as the pup tried to catch her wiggling finger in its mouth. Lin put a sword wrapped in black cloth on the table; Piandao took it and unwrapped it.

"Ah, yes", Piandao smiled as he pulled the brown hardwood of the jian, with golden pommel and hand guard, and bluish tint on the unadorned metal. "I remember when I forged this. A Northern Water Tribe friend of mine presented me with a slab of Cang'e Steel as a birthday gift. The frame is cherry wood from Sing Yang Island and the gold from Earth Kingdom."

Piandao pulled the sword free and put down the scabbard; he held it in front of him gently at the hilt and the blade. "And I want you to have it", Piandao smirked.

"Seriously?" Lin frowned. "You seemed quite upset when it was stolen."

"Yes, but this is a good sword; with me, it will just sit around in my workshop, collecting dust. A fencing jian", Piandao lifted it up a little, showing how paper-thin the blade was. "But, it's quite stiff. You should be able to get used to it quite easily. You have grown accustomed to Nightshade and two-handed short blade. Your technique and form are flawless, Lin, but that is the problem. You have reached your peak in your current path", Piandao sheathed the sword and held it up for Lin to take. "You lack grace."

Lin received the sword.

"You need to broaden your horizon. Utilizing fencing style will remedy that", Piandao said simply. "Fencing style requires one to flow like the wind and attack like a swallow-hawk diving at its prey. It will be a good addition to your repertoire."

"Understand, Master. Thank you", Lin nodded, putting his new sword on the floor by his side.

They finished their drinks and excused themselves; Azula said something about writing a letter home and Lin about catching up with his friends. They did throw the idea of Azula, being a fencer herself, teaching Lin the style though. Piandao smiled warmly at it as the two got out.

On the empty hallway, Azula bumped playfully on Lin's arm. Lin braved an embrace and stole a quick kiss on the Princess' cheek. They pulled away and assumed walking normally when a group of young students appeared from the end of the hallway. Azula cleared her throat and bent down to scoop the puppy into her arms; Lin pretended to inspect his sword.

They walked in silence; Lin with a sword in his hand and Azula with a puppy in her arms. They found their way back to the dining hall where Yung and Rei, and the senior students were sitting at one of the long table, enjoying late lunch.

"You know", Yoku, the only female in the group of seven, pulled a seat for Azula. "You should have never left. Agni knows we need more females in this school."

Yung and Rei snickered. "Hear, hear!"

Yoku threw her cup at one of them, doesn't matter which one, scoring the head.

It was nice, Azula thought. She thoroughly enjoyed her time at Piandao's school. The Master was strict but nurturing. The students were awkward at first but Master Piandao's unbiased treatment on Zuko and Azula soon diffused the tension. Azula truly enjoyed being here, where the students counted her as one of their own. She only ever got that sort of treatment from Mai and Ty Lee but even they would revert back to their formal and stiff selves when some other royals were around.

Azula fed bits of food at her puppy while giggling at Yung and Rei's completely exaggerated and untrue recount of their numerous adventures after Azula left while Lin ate in silence; they were playing footsie under the table without anyone noticing.

"I'm planning to visit my family's mansion and probably stay for the night", Lin said, answering Yoku's question. "It has been awhile."

"You should have stayed too, you know", Yoku commented, waving a strip of dried meat at him. "Travelling at teenage age is such a waste."

Zhong, the Viper, cleared his throat coldly.

"Well, you're different", Yoku snickered at Zhong who used to be a travelling swordsman. "Anyway, Lin, you should spend the last of your teenage years enjoying your homeland."

"Yeah, travelling can come later after you get married", Yuu dropped in, earning a half-eaten strip of dried meat on his face.

"So, this mansion", Azula started as the other students argued among themselves. "I never knew the Lin Family has a property here."

"Would you like to come as well, Your Highness?" Lin offered, putting his chopsticks down. "It belonged to my grandmother's family. When she died, I inherited it from her."

"I see. Lady Umma… House of Lu, if I remember correctly", Azula picked up her pup from the table and held it in her arms. "Look at that", she smirked at the twins. "You three are related."

"Cousin!" Yung and Rei cheered at Lin.

"Actually, you two are my uncles", Lin snickered. "Yes", Lin nodded at Azula. "My grandmother was General Lu's granddaughter. His daughter married a human. You know, I heard you are quite an adept magic user. Perhaps, you should come with me", Lin perked up. "My grandmother has quite a collection of tomes related to magic."

"Yes, I would be… interested", Azula smiled.

Now that the play had been laid out, it would not be very strange that, in the afternoon before dinner, Azula and Lin went out on their own to the hill overlooking the ocean at the southern part of the island where a manor was located.

The Lu Family was extremely old and prestigious. The manor was designed much like Piandao's mansion, older architecture of square design and triangular slanted roofs, unlike the modern circular pagoda-shaped building. The Manor was quite big, two-storey and plated with dark granite, with dark-red roof tiles. It was surrounded by gray stone wall and the double metal gate leading to the vast front yard was guarded by two statues of terrible looking simian creatures clad in old Fire Nation armor that consisted of the pauldrons, bracers, breastplate, and tasset; bare simian feet gripped onto the pedestal they were standing on. They were each carrying a shield and a studded baton. They each stood eight feet tall and looked dignified.

The gate swung open as Lin approached; Azula followed behind holding her puppy. They left their swords at Piandao's place for show, although Lin had his moon steel sword in his hands and Azula carried Azure with her; Azula did say something about helping Lin train his fencing style.

"Old magic", Lin explained, remembering the time when his grandmother pricked his finger a little, drawing a drop of blood she smeared at the gate. "My grandma was quite an accomplished magic user, despite being human. You know, she actually trapped some wandering spirits in the house and domesticated them to do house chores."

"My great-grandmother knew how to do that; she tried to teach me how but I have servants", Azula shrugged. "Anyway, um… travelling? Something Yoku mentioned."

"Well", Lin stepped closer and embraced Azula's shoulder. "To the world, General Jiang's son is traveling the world, mostly to the colonies, to solidify the family's holdings in the Earth Kingdom. We have relatives among the colonials, you know."

"I know", Azula replied. They arrived at a grand double door with the Lin clan's insignia of a taiji circle on the middle of the dark-crimson wooden door. They opened as the two approached and the Yin and Yang of the circle separated along the curvy line.

"Welcome, Princess, to the Dragon Pearl Manor", Lin made a wide gesture.

"Anyone lives here?" Azula asked, putting her puppy down.

"Just the ghosts, literally", Lin threw his sword and robe, something invisible caught them and the objects hovered across the entryway; stone floor with a long dark carpet running the middle, a small tall table on each side housing a small vase of seasonal flowers, framed at the right and left by an identical pair of tall ornamental vases. At the end of the entryway, the circular doorframe was decorated with the engraving of kirins on the red wooden frame, blending nicely on the dark wall.

Lin and Azula followed the floating objects through the entryway into a vast living room. The floor was wooden and the walls gray granite, on the right side of the spacious room were a set table and couches surrounding it, all red. On each wall were paintings depicting nature and an antiquated ornamental shield; on the left side, there was an empty space with similar ornaments on the wall but also with weapons stands filled with various pole weapons on the sides. In the olden days when the manor was built, should a guess offend the host, or the other way around, a duel would be issued on the spot. As the centuries went by, it turned into a training area.

"How do you use the ghost? Do you talk to them or something?" Azula asked.

"Well, I just think it, really. There's a ritual that will bind them to your will", Lin informed. "Let me show you to your room."

Azula narrowed her eyes and smirk at that. Her room… yeah, right. Still, Lin was a careful person who, Azula guessed, would make him a good battle strategist.

They walked through another doorway and across an indoor lawn; roofless with corridors around it, for use when it rains, with an engraving of the Lu Family's crest of white clover. Lin stopped at the middle of the courtyard. "So, there's the living quarters, the North Wing", he pointed at the part of the manor in front of them. "That's the East Wing, where the armory, library, and pretty much places where we store and display stuff are. And that's the West Wing where the kitchen and storerooms are. Servants also lived there once upon a time."

"You should get some", Azula suggested. "It will give this place less of a deserted air."

"What do you mean deserted?" Lin frowned deeply. Sure, no one had been in this manor for quite some time but it was not dirty or anything. Then, he reminded himself that Azula was a Princess and lived in a freaking Palace with hundreds of servants and thousands of guards; the girl had never once been alone in her long life.

"Well, our voices echo", Azula pointed out.

Lin snickered and led the way to the living quarters. The front space of the North Wing was a large common room decorated with little furniture of couch and chairs at the walls and empty on the middle space. It led to another of the manor's distinctive circular doorway that led to a lowered floor where a dining area was; a long rectangular table housed twenty chairs at the sides, by Azula's calculation, and a large throne like padded chair at the head. Azula noticed the carving on the chairs' backrest and the wood carving of the wall, beams, and ornaments, as she would later the rooms, and the color theme; she noticed the fusion of the two clans there, Lu Family's burgundy and gray, clover crest and kirin, and Lin Family's black and dark-red, taiji crest and dragons.

Lin's four-poster bed, in the master bedroom at the end of the hallway past the dining room, bore the theme of Lin Family; dark-red varnished wood with crimson sheets and dark blanket and pillowcases. The curtain was the same color as the blanket and the furniture the bedframe. There was a study desk at the window, framed by bookcases at the right and left. A small circular dining table was at the other side of the room. At the wall left of the bed, a folding screens with silken panel bearing the painting of cherry blossoms stood, a tall wardrobe stood behind it. On the other side, a set of couch and a small low table were placed.

Azula had put her stuff at the room nearest to the master bedroom and was now stood in the latter, admiring the place. It was so… Lin; organized but with a hint of laidback-ness there. Azula found Lin's robe draping on the chair at the study and the sword on a mount at the desk located at the foot of the bed, above a green jade flute with red tassel that occupied the lower level of the two-tiered sword mount. She could totally see this place the next morning; there would be papers and a saucer of ink on the desk, books stacked messily on the table near the couch, and the bed would be messy.

"Wanna take a shower before we eat?" Lin asked, already in a comfortable baggy garb of dark with red trim, embracing Azula's by the waist. He noticed the soft and tender look in Azula's eyes, the look she had usually right after she woke up. Lin loved that look and sometimes he would wake up earlier before Azula just to see that look in her eyes. Azula seemed tired, indeed. But, then again, he did make her orgasm five times the previous night. Her new record.

"How about we go and have dinner at town?" Azula suggested, circling her arms around Lin's neck and netting her fingers. "Ren told me about this new noodle shop; his cousin runs it. He said they could make spiced shirataki noodle like how they made it back in the days."

"I was hoping we could have a romantic dinner here but, sure", Lin smiled, pecking the tip of Azula's nose. "I sort of miss Fire Nation noodle."

So, they fetched their weapons and coats, and got out, walking hand in hand with their hoods on to the town. The ember wolf pup, upon sniffing the scent of food in the air as they entered the town, ran ahead into the crowd.

"Avi!" Azula called, running after it.

"Avi?" Lin asked as he arrived by Azula's side; the Princess scooped the flighty puppy into her arms and tried to look stern to no avail at the sheer adorableness of the puppy.

"It's old Sun Warriors language; it means 'fire'", Azula explained, placing the puppy in her arms like one would a baby and tickled its belly. "I need to train her to follow my order soon. I wonder if fire whip would do the trick."

Avi whined and its ears went down.

"Puppy needs love", Lin commented, peering over Azula's shoulder at the puppy, stroking its head. "So do I."

Azula turned her head a little, smiling as Lin leaned down and kissed her gently on her lips; neither cared that they were standing in the middle of the street where numerous people were around.

Neither expected two burly men in full Fire Nation regalia jumping at them, tackling Lin to the ground and grabbing Azula away.


	12. Chapter 12 - Assassins

**Chapter 12 – Assassins**

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Sometimes, the Blue Spirit regretted taking up the mask. It was such a lovely evening too, the twilight sky was quite cloudless and the sun was warm in the cool air. It would have been a perfect picnic with Uncle Iroh's spiced oolong tea and ginger buns. Mai might actually smile.

Zuko really regretted taking up the mask sometimes. The fact that he was up in the trees, hidden inside the foliage of autumn oaks, watching a scene of picnic unfolding before him was quite a proverbial blow in metaphorical low. The Young Master of the House of Lang was sitting on the ground, on a piece of dark brownish red quilt, leaning back on his hands.

They young man of mid-twenty was handsome, aristocratically so, with long hair of charcoal tied partially into a top-knot, the rest of his long hair cascaded on his back and fluttered in the wind as he threw his head back and laughed. His golden-haired ram-leopard ran around chasing a flame-butterfly. His clothes were the baggy long robe of the brownish-red and maroon trim of their clan, with a wide obi of dark maroon tied by a sash of yellow. His legs were straightened on the ground, his pointy dark boots plated with gold emblem.

The House of Lang was one of the very few old clans that had not received vampirism; it was a house of merchants and in Fire Nation the warrior caste reigned supreme. But, the Blue Spirit had done his homework. This one, Zato Lang, was one of the Head of the Family's most trusted right-hand men and the most cherished son of the family. Since he was old enough to travel, he had been accompanying of the uncles to and fro the colonies, establishing and encouraging silk trade route and relationship with the family. After the Young Master turned sixteen, he had taken to travelling alone.

Also, Prince Zuko knew of him personally; he was one of Piandao's students, one of the few the Master proclaimed ready to leave his tutelage and resume the training on their own. Zuko knew of Zato's preference of fencing jian, owning an extremely thin and supple jian he wrapped around his waist, hidden under his sash.

Additionally, there was one other thing that added to Prince Zuko's reluctance to blindly believe that the House of Lang was conspiring against the Fire Throne.

"Honeybunch!" a shrill melodic voice of a female called.

"Sugar cake!" Zato threw his arms wide, allowing the girl to leap into his embrace; if Zuko did not know any better, he would have thought it was Ty Lee who the Young Master was currently smooching.

The fact that Ty Ren, the oldest of Ty sisters, was engaged to the Young Master hit close to home.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Ty Lee purred delightfully in her sleep; she felt really really cold and shivered. Naturally, she was drawn to the source of warmth by her side. Hugging the warmth, she truly enjoyed the hot firebender skin rubbing against her chest, stomach, and legs. Yeah, definitely firebender; only firebender could have that special layer of warmth above their skin, as if their aura was the very heat that made them so huggable.

Wait… _chest, stomach, and legs_… was she naked…? And since when was Azula -the only firebender she knew and could hug without getting herself garroted by sharp blade- so wide and muscular…?

Gasping, gray eyes snapped open. The first thing she saw was the muscular arm of a boy. The figure groaned in his sleep and turned to her, embracing her. She shot up quickly, -dang, she _was_ naked!-, waking Prince Lu Ten who was also very much in the state of undress. Amber eyes met gray and they looked down just to check.

Their scream tore through the evening sky.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Lin kicked his assailant away; the burly man in full Royal Procession regalia staggered back but, true to his elite status among the warriors, assumed a firm firebending stance and let loose a stream of fire before Lin could react. Lin was barely able to raise his sheathed sword in time to hold against the flame, knocked back a few steps. The masked Royal Procession sent a barrage of flame that promptly took Azula off Lin's mind. Azula would have to take care of herself, Lin thought as he unsheathed his sword and let his firebending engulfed his blade with yellow-tinted orange flame.

He whipped the flame towards the burly man who met his offense with his own fire whip; their flame died out and their heads whipped to the direction of Azula's voice, shouting hell and fury. "Let go of me, you brute boarilla!"

They had the privilege of witnessing the Fire Princess delivering a front kick to the groin of the other burly man who was holding her by the wrist. Lin and his opponent winced and turned to each other with incredulous look on their faces, feeing the solidarity that binds all males together in the form of a tingling sensation in their groin as the Princess' mean kick connected with the Royal Procession's thingy. The angry Princess turned to the other two and stomped her way to the other Royal Procession who suddenly faltered.

"Chit Sang…" Azula growled dangerously; Chit Sang, the burly Royal Procession, gulped audibly and took off his mask, completely aware of the patches of flames alighting the grass borne of the clash with the boy turning bright sapphire blue.

"Y-yes, Princess", Chit Sang stuttered, sweating profusely.

"Helmet's off!" Azula barked.

Chit Sang complied and took off his helmet; Azula reached up and pulled the man's large ear. Ignoring his pain, Azula dragged the burly Royal Procession to the other one who was still curling on his knees, hurting in the purest way. Azula yanked his helmet off and gave him the same treatment.

Lin did not know what to make of two fully-grown Royal Processions being handled by the ear like a little kid by a girl barely half their size in public, watched by the good folks of Shu Jing, or of their 'ow, ow, ow'.

"Now, Jee, Chit Sang", Azula twisted their ears painfully. "You better explain yourselves. What are you doing here and why are you attacking the Young Master of the Lin Family? You better hope I like your answers."

"Ow, ow… P-princess", Jee grunted, grimacing in pain. "W-we were sent here to recue you. We were told you were kidnapped."

Azula twisted harder once before letting go. She kicked Chit Sang in the shin for good measure.

A wave of shadow energy collided with Lin and sent him flying to the nearby building, knocking his sword and scabbard off his hands before flying away.

"What's that now?" Azula barked. "Another one of your—"

"Princess, no", Jee said, eyes following the shadow up to the sky where it dispersed and disappeared; he and Chit Sang stood around Azula protectively, eyes scanning the crowd and surrounding.

The shadow emerged and landed on the top of a restaurant on their left and solidified into a figure clad in dark hooded garb and light dark armor, wearing an engraved dark mask that bore the resemblance to a sly looking lynx, with a hooded robe that fluttered slightly in the wind.

The figure unsheathed his ninjato and the crowd took is as a cue to scream and run around in panic. Jee shot a fire blast as the figure; the flame hit the roof but the figure leaped high and down to the street in an elegant crouch. The figure leaped sideway just in time to evade the second blast that caught the edge of his dark flowing robe. The figure stood and threw his coat off, revealing curve around his… well, figure, that truly called for a change of pronoun into _she_.

"Shadow Brotherhood", Lin joined the three, sword ready. "Stand down!" he shouted to the figure. "We are in the presence of Fire Princess Azula, daughter of Ozai and Ursa! Stand down!"

The figure threw several darts at once; Lin knocked them off in the air with his, whoa, very light fencing sword, while Jee and Chit Sang utilized the thick metal plates of their bracers to defend themselves and their Princess. Azula observed intently, partially worried about Avi barking at the assailant but at least staying close at her feet.

Lin leaped first, aggressive as always, with a sword on one hand and three throwing knives lodged between his left fingers. He slashed once to hit a dart the figure threw his way, dodged the second one, and threw two of his knives rapidly. The figure dodged Lin's knives with a dancelike light footing and, as Lin got in her range, raised her ninjato to parry Lin's sword. Lin's attack, Azula noticed, was too forceful; it was a slash, a most ineffective technique to use with a fencing jian.

The assassin whipped her head back as Lin slashed with the throwing knife he held in a reverse grip and back-flipped, scoring a vertical upward kick on Lin's chin. Grunting, Lin staggered back; Jee moved next with a fast barrage of fire blasts that the assassin evaded almost effortlessly.

Jee's last fire blast though went through the assassin, literally went through her, as the assassin transformed her very body into dark shadowy mist.

"Whispered", Azula muttered under her breath perplexedly. "Chit Sang, I'll be fine. Go!"

Chit Sang turned to the scene of battle, looking conflicted. Nodding briefly at the Princess, he stormed ahead, throwing globes of burning flame that exploded upon contact; the assassin deftly evaded with her agility alone but the last one exploded close to her and the force sent her to her knees. It brought enough time for Lin and Jee to gather themselves up. Surrounding the assassin from three directions, they looked at each other, mentally agreeing on a truce.

The three males made their move at the same time but the assassin was faster; turning herself into the shadowy mist, she swooped the males, starting from Lin at her left, to Chit Sang, and then Jee, and brought the three screaming men up ten or so feet in the air, and dropped them onto the nearest building, a fabric store. The roof gave way to the combined weight of two burly men and one lean boy, and the three landed in a heap in a pile of colorful fabric and bunches of clothes. Lin, being fortunate enough to be on top, sprung up and raced outside with sword ready; Jee pushed Chit Sang off and they too stood up and raced out, Chit Sang after he threw away a wide colorful straw hat that somehow perched on his head. The door slammed closed and Lin was sandwiched from behind by the two Royal Processions who failed to stop.

Azula saw the door rattled once from outside; the assassin, she knew, was sneering under the mask as she barred the door handles with her ninjato. The assassin took her steps measured and cockily steady as she descended the steps that led up to the store. She was underestimating Azula and the latter was wondering it that was a good thing. When one underestimates one's opponent, one would tend to make mistake and take things lightly but Azula's pride was hurt of being considered in such a way. Had she not done enough to solidify her status among the best warriors the Nation had to offer? Tamer of Blue Flame, the youngest lightningbender, all that; which was a call for concern. If the assassin thought she could handle Azula, the Princess was a bit wary of what the assassin was truly capable of.

Azula walked ahead a couple of step, unsheathing Azure; she dropped the sheath on the ground in front of Avi, hoping to the spirits the puppy got her meaning and _stayed put_. The Princess flicked her sword holding wrist and sapphire blue flame dripped down from the base of the blade down to the tip, alighting thicker around the engraving of cloudy flame that ran from the base up to a quarter length of the thin sharp blade.

The Fire Princess leaped forward and sprung up into an elegant horizontal twirl, gaining momentum as she landed graceful on her feet to deliver a slash of flame from her sword that left the blade flameless as the blue fire arc flew towards the masked figure; the assassin evaded easily but hitting her was not in Azula's mind. Azula's flame hit the door that the three males were trying to barge open, shattering the sword barring the door into numerous pieces.

Lin, Jee, and Chit Sang burst out, jumping onto the street, surrounding the assassin once more. Azula smirked at the masked figure. "Who are you? How dare you raise your arms against the Princess of your Nation…"

"Stand down", Lin shouted from behind the assassin; Agni, how he hoped he could make the assassin see that they were truly on the same side, a fellow assassin, a fellow Whispered Brethren. "We are not your foe!"

Lin could have sworn the figure snorted.

Dark misty shadow emerged slowly from the outline of her body like vapor from ice. The figure dissolved into the dark shadowy mist once more and the mass of dark flew towards Azula; Jee and Chit Sang screamed their warning, Lin dashed ahead, lashing a whip of flame at the mist to no avail; it simply passed through.

Azula simply smirked at the coming danger; she drew one step back, digging her foot on the ground, bracing for impact; she raised her sword high and slashed down, chanting the spell. "_Amsuh_."

Her blade shone bright hot white and slammed down on the flying shadow like a rod, bringing the shadow down to the ground. The assassin materialized and hit the ground on her front, grunting audibly. Azula smirked triumphantly at the assassin and raised Azure, ready for the finishing thrust; the assassin twitched slightly and disappeared without a trace into a puff of misty shadow.

Azula scowled a little and lowered her sword. "That was disappointing", she commented. Something touched her ankle and she looked down; Avi brought her Azure's sheath. "Aww, look who has just become my new favorite", she cooed, bending down to take the sheath and patted the puppy on the head.

"What was that?" Jee commented, rubbing his sore back. "That woman can turn herself into shadow."

Lin was itching to answer, easing up on his grip, but anything that might cause his status as a Whispered to be compromised was intolerable.

Luckily, Azula was in a chatty mood. "That, boys, was no ordinary Shadow Magic. She was Gifted."

Chit Sang and Jee exchanged astonished look; every Fire Nation warriors worth their flames knew what that term means.

"Congratulations, gentlemen", Azula smirked, sheathing her sword. "You have just faced a Whispered Assassin and live to tell the tale."

Lin was a few meters away, picking up his scabbard, pretending not to listen.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Stop pulling!"

"But, my royal parts are showing!"

Lu Ten gave the blanket a good yank and there Ty Lee stood in all her glory; the girl shrieked and Lu Ten quickly moved and hugged her, the blanket between them, covering their nakedness.

_Wow, her hair smells nice_, Lu Ten thought, gulping. _And her skin is so soft,_ he added mentally, hands on the girl's bare back. Agni, he hoped Ty Lee would not feel him poking her because _that_ would be awkward.

"Okay", Lu Ten gulped, scanning around; the fact that they were at least in his room did not bring as much comfort as he hoped it would. "Last time I remember, we were having breakfast."

Ty Lee whimpered, feeling extremely uncomfortable. She wanted to cry…

"And then, what happened… urgh…" Lu Ten groaned, his head throbbed painfully. "I can't believe my luck."

_-0-flashback-0-_

Lu Ten could not believe his luck: walking with him, arm linking, was _the_ Ty Lee. Lu Ten was smitten by the girl almost instantly at the dinner. Cute adorable face, dark brown hair, flawless skin of slight ivory, and the curves… dear Agni, _the curves_. The God of Fire, the Giver of Life and Master of Energy himself must have spent some extra time sculpturing those curves.

Lu Ten simply could not believe his luck as they walked towards the dining hall ahead. He turned to the shorter girl and smiled; Ty Lee smiled back brightly and, dear Agni, Lu Ten felt himself melt inside. _Azula wouldn't mind if— Azula!_

Lu Ten stopped at his track, feeling colt in his gut; Ty Lee frowned at him. Azula…

…_can take care of herself_, Lu Ten thought suddenly. An epiphany hit him; Azula… the same girl who had mastered enough Ancient Magic to defeat two Imperial Battlemages when she was still an itsy bitsy thing, the same girl who had tamed the Blue Flame, the same girl who had mastered enough Lightning Generation to be pronounced a master firebender had she not been a stubborn perfectionist who felt herself undeserving of such high rank before she could perfect each and every one of her forms.

_Azula would be fine_, Lu Ten reassured himself again. The guards at the door opened it for them.

Lu Ten smiled and stepped inside with Ty Lee, suddenly feeling like a fool for worrying so much. Ursa, Zuko, Mai, and Iroh were already in there, enjoying breakfast. Ursa stood up and greeted the two brightly. Lu Ten noticed how cheerful she looked. The young lady sitting by Zuko's side might have been the reason why.

"Ty Lee, dear", Ursa smiled, sitting between her and Mai; the boys were at the other side of the table with the exception of Lu Ten who had seated himself on Ty Lee's other side. "Did Azula tell you about Shu Jing?"

Lu Ten's ears perked up. "Shu Jing? What about Shu Jing?"

Ursa was about to answer when Zuko cut in. "Azula's on Shu Jing. She's visiting Master Piandao."

"In the middle of the night?" Lu Ten asked incredulously. "But, there was no record about a royal ship of airship leaving the Palace."

Zuko narrowed his eye condescendingly; Lu Ten saw his resemblance to Azula. "She sent me a letter. It arrived this morning", Zuko reached into his garb and pulled it out, handing it over to Lu Ten.

"Doesn't seem wrong?" Lu Ten muttered as he read through the scroll. "Hmm… seeking tutelage in the art of swordplay from Master Piandao because she couldn't cut Chan fast enough, huh? That does sound like Azula. But, why did she go in the middle of the night."

The Fire Prince's mind ran through several scenarios and the one that involved Chan breaking into Azula's room in the middle of the night, hence prompting Azula's sudden departure, boiled his blood; he had completely forgotten that he was sleeping in Azula's room at the time.

"GUARDS!" Lu Ten shot up, roaring, scaring people in the room. The pair of palace guards from the door entered quickly, spears at ready. "Send words the Princess' Guards immediately! Tell them to prepare for a trip to Shu Jing to rescue the Princess! I shall join them momentarily; now, Aunt Ursa, where do I keep my sharpest battle axe?"

_-0-end of flashback-0-_

"What's next?" Lu Ten pulled his pants up, raising his voice so Ty Lee, dressing herself behind the folding screens at the corner of his room could hear.

"I don't know", Ty Lee fastened her sash, dreading to think about— no, she was thinking about it! What's done is done, she said to herself. Stepping out, she found the Fire Prince struggling with his armbands. "Here", she said, stepping closer and tied the band for the Prince. "I remember Zuko leaving first; he said he was tired, remember? Then, I remember you sharing your meat bun with me."

_-0-flashback-0-_

"Lu Ten, calm down", Ursa scolded firmly. "I know you are –Lu Ten, sit! Listen, I know you are worried but, please, don't be rude to our guests. At least stay and entertain Ty Lee for a while. Have breakfast before you go. You need the energy", the Lady pushed a plate of buns closer to the Prince.

"Um, sure…" Lu Ten turned to Ty Lee and flashed a weak smile. "I apologize, my Lady. Truly, I am ashamed of my unruly behavior", he said charmingly, ignoring Zuko who made a gagging noise behind his cup. "Perhaps, you would share this bun with me. Ah, yes… see this lotus mark?" he pointed at the red coloring forming a simply lotus blossom on top of the white skin of the bun. "This one is made by Lian Wu, one of our cooks here. Perhaps you've heard of her?"

Ty Lee shook her head and, dear Agni, Lu Ten never thought anyone could look as adorable; it was like looking at little Azula once again. Lu Ten broke the bun in two. "Lian Wu is an old cook in our Palace. She's well-known as a great baker", he gave Ty Lee half the bun.

They ate and Zuko got up, excusing himself. That was the last thing they remembered.

_-0-end of flashback-0-_

"We must have been drugged", Lu Ten surmised, plopping down at the bed beside Ty Lee. "I wonder who did it."

Ty Lee shrugged.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"You are one vicious woman, Ursa", Iroh commented as he placed his Red Rose tile.

"I will take that as a compliment", Ursa smirked; under the evening sunlight, Iroh could not miss how she resembled Azula when Ursa smirked like that.

"I'm just glad you put that ring to a good use", Iroh's offer to refill Ursa's teacup was turned down politely.

"Thank you, although I am a little ashamed of myself for mistaking a drunken poison for sleeping powder. I guess we now know where Zuko got his sloppiness from", Ursa grumbled; Iroh frowned at Ursa feeling more ashamed for mistaking her poison than for drugging her nephew.

"I should remember this the next time I feel like crossing you", Iroh muttered, taking a deep gulp of his tea.

"Anything for my babies", Ursa said, smirking so Azula-like. "Anything for my babies, brother-in-law. Not even the Fire Lord can stop me when it comes to my darling babies."

"True that", Iroh raised his cup in reverence.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"And I wonder if… we… did it…" Lu Ten looked around uncomfortably. "I mean, not that I'm complaining or anything but—", he only managed to make Ty Lee turn deeper red. "W-well, n-not that I… you know…"

Ty Lee buried her face in her hands and squeaked. Lu Ten was panicking now.

"No, no, I mean… um, I… I don't mind", Lu Ten scratched his head, groaning. He plopped down on his back and he smelt blood coming from the bed near his head. He turned to his left and noticed the dark patch on the dark maroon cover immediately.

Blood… oh, no…

And he could not even remember.

_Such a waste— arrghh! No! No! Evil thoughts, be gone!_

Ty Lee too sighed and plopped down on her back. "I hope Azula's not mad."

"Um, she won't be", Lu Ten laughed awkwardly. His mind was running a strategy to get Ty Lee out, perhaps they would go around asking people, the guards, maybe, of what had happened after the breakfast; Lu Ten could grab a servant on the way to clean up his room.

_No… _Lu Ten mentally smacked himself upside the head. "Evil thoughts, be gone…" Lu Ten muttered. He was the big cousin, for Agni's sake! Now with Zuko courting a Young Lady of… that family, Lu Ten could never remember it, and Azula probably seeing someone secretly, Big Cousin Lu Ten must give good example in behaving responsibly. Sure, deflowering a certain Young Lady who was a member of his little cousin Zuko's team and his baby cousin Azula's best friend was a rough start but there was no way in freaking hell would Lu Ten shrink away from admitting his fault.

"Hmm?" Ty Lee sat up slowly as the Fire Prince shot up and sighed deeply.

"Ty Lee", Lu Ten started with a tone of firm and, at the same time, gentle; Ty Lee was most interested in how twirly and swirly the Fire Prince's royal purple aura got. "Listen. Um, I think, we… we did it."

"What?" Ty Lee titled her head, frowning so adorably; oh, how Lu Ten secretly hope he could remember the day they spent together in bed.

"You know… sex", Lu Ten tugged his collar a bit, suddenly feeling hot despite sheen of cold sweat on his forehead. "I found a patch of blood on my bed. There", he pointed at the said patch of blood.

"Oh…" Ty Lee went beet red. "Uh… actually… I'm pretty sure that is from my monthlies."

"What? R-really?" Lu Ten frowned gradually turned into a beam as he fisted the air, exclaiming. "YES!"

Ty Lee frowned at him.

"Um, I-I mean, _aww_…" Lu Ten stopped suddenly as Ty Lee's mouth parted in an 'o' of an offended form. "No, no… I mean… uh, well, you see I… urgh…" the Prince faceplamed and groaned. "Can we… do over?"

Ty Lee chewed her lip but, smiling weakly, she nodded. Okay", she cleared her throat. "I think that's from my monthlies."

"My dear Lady, I truly am glad that I have not done any that would harm you virtue", Lu Ten cranked up the suave. "But, truly, I am, too, disappointed despite myself."

"Hey, that's actually pretty good", Ty Lee giggled.

"Thank you, I try", Lu Ten curtly inclined his head, chuckling along. They exhaled in relief and with a gentle hand, he reached to Ty Lee's and grasped, and with a soft voice, he asked. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, positive", Ty Lee nodded, beaming. This Prince, she thought, had the prettiest purple aura.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Lu Ten asked again. "Because, you know…" he sighed. "You know what, just to be sure, I think we should check."

The speed of her own hand shocked Ty Lee sometimes.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"*gasp*" Ursa dropped her White Tiger tile.

"Do you feel that too?" Iroh asked ominously. Ursa, pale as a sheet of paper, gripped her chest and nodded.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"*gasp*" Ozai jolted a bit; his higher level of Fire Meditation broke and the flying orbs of flame he was levitating around him with his mind hissed and dissipated.

Shrugging nonchalantly, he resumed his meditation.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"*gasp*"

—CLANK—

The servants quickly moved to pick up the broken teapot and cleared away the mess. Fire Lady Illah swallowed hard and exchanged a dark look with his husband who was sitting at her right at the head of the long dining table.

"Lu Ten?" Azulon hissed venomously.

"Lu Ten", Illah nodded, somber.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"*gasp*"

Young Master Zato Lang and Young Lady Ty Ren stopped and turned to the crowd behind them; the Young Master's ram-leopard growled at the crowd, earning wary glances as many people cringed away from the beast.

Zuko mentally cursed his carelessness, turning his face away and pretended to be interested in the merchandise a mask cart in front of him was selling, pulling his hood closer to hide his scarred face.

The two nobles finally shrugged and resumed their march towards the beginning of the night market, prompting Zuko to shadow them through the crowd.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"*gasp*"

"Princess?" Chit Sang frowned, eyeing the girl worriedly.

"Nothing", Azula muttered, popping a cherry into her mouth; she then scowled at the large man. "I don't remember telling you to stop", she said in a low dangerous tone.

"Sorry, Princess", Chit Sang squeaked, resuming with his foot massaging the Princess; Jee was on all four, cushioning the Princess' legs as the said Princess sat in a padded chair in the Dragon Pearl Manor library.

Lin arrived later with a specific book Azula was asking for. He gave Azula the book and turned around, himself itching for some good reading. Azula caught his garb and pulled him closer. "Kiss", she mouthed.

"You sure?" Lin asked meaningfully.

"Yup", Azula pulled him down and pecked him on the lips. Chit Sang and Jee promptly looked away.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Ow…"

"I'm sorry!" Ty Lee flew to the writhing Prince on the floor and helped him sit up. "I'm sorry! Really sorry!"

"I meant we should go to the Royal Physician or something… not- _you know_", Lu Ten sat up and rubbed his cheek.

"Sorry…" Ty Lee's eyes began to water.

"I think you knocked my favorite tooth out", Lu Ten groaned. "Ow, the pain… no, no, why are you crying?" he stammered at the sobbing girl. "Come on. I mean, I'm the one whose tooth got knocked out."

"I'm… *sob* …I'm sorry…" Ty Lee wiped her face only to have her tears flowed down some more. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay", Lu Ten pulled the girl into his embrace. "I'm used to it. I mean, Azula's my cousin, remember? I've been to the war and I was nearly killed there. But, let me tell you, I've never been hurt more, in terms of quantity and quality, than I've been at the hands of my baby cousin. Do you know that she knows a spell that can literally melt your flesh?"

Ty Lee chuckled, sniffing hard. "Yeah", she hiccupped. "She used it on that dragon that scarred Zuko's face."

-B-L-O-O-D-

"I don't understand", Azula said as she put her feet down and stood up, slamming her book closed; Chit Sang and Jee sighed in relief and stood up. Jee cracked his back and Chit Sang rolled his shoulders.

"Don't understand what?" Lin asked, turning a little from the table he was sitting at, looking up from an old looking tome.

"Why a Whispered Sister would want to attack us", Azula crossed her arms, dropping her book; Chit Sang and Jee dived to catch it at the same time, heads banging at the result. Azula hid her smirk as she stepped over them and walked to Lin's table. Avi approached the two groaning men on the floor and whined sympathetically, licking Jee's head.

"The Shadow Brotherhood serves the Royal family since time immemorial", Azula recited from the boos she had just read, settling down on Lin's lap; she dismissed the two Royal Procession curtly with a wave of her hand and waited until the two got out of the library and closed the door behind them before she continued. "The Whispered, as you know well, is a less-known subdivision within the Brotherhood that consisted of one hundred and eight individuals, the number is constant, each Gifted with magic", Azula sighed as she leaned back into Lin's embrace. "That assassin from before, her magic was too instinctive, too natural to be something learnt. She must be Gifted. And the mask; did you notice?"

"Yeah", Lin rested his chin on Azula's head, recalling the details and intricate engraving on the woman's mask. "Lynx. Shade-Lynx, the Stalker, Patron Spirit of Spies and Assassins; and I noticed the small insignia on the part between the eyes."

Azula noticed his anxiety, his guarded presence, and she did not like it; she preferred Lin's more laidback and carefree nature, a great change from the males of her family who were mostly firm and distant, high up beyond reach, with an exception of Lu Ten, or the other noblemen who were fake and untrue. Azula liked it better when Lin was laidback and carefree.

Lin had a valid reason to be concerned though. Half the things he had done to Azula would warranty numerous counts of death penalties. Worse yet, he was human. Social distinction between humans and vampires was not really significant but the Royal Family had never married a human. It was really part of the allure in their relationship; the defiance, the forbidden feel.

"She was coming for me", Azula muttered softly, rubbing circles on the arms that were holding her tight by the waist. "She locked you and those two lugs in that building and she came after me. You don't have to worry."

"I don't have to worry?" Lin said in a low voice, dripping with cold fury. "Azula, an assassin under your grandfather's employ who can turn herself into shadow tried to kill you. I _worry_."

Azula felt a burst of comfortable warmth that she could never get used to expanding in her chest. She shifted and turned a little, circling her arms on Lin's neck, pressing her forehead on his and touched the bridge of his nose with the tip of hers. "I can take care of myself."

"Promise me you won't seek her out", Lin said pleadingly.

"Promise", Azula smiled softly, pecking the tip of Lin's nose.

"We should straight things out with the Fire Lord", Lin added quietly; and by 'we', they both know it meant 'her'.

"I can't", Azula muttered, failing to hold a gasp; part of her defense crumbled and she felt afraid. Her all-powerful grandfather supposedly sent an assassin after her, how could she not be?

Lin stroked her head and whispered words of comfort as she cried quietly in his arms, promising that everything would be alright and he would never abandon her.

-B-L-O-O-D-

The lynx on the ornate engraving on the metal mask matched the smirk behind the face. The Whispered Sister stalked the Dragon Pearl Manor from the foliage of a tall tree, sitting on a branch with legs entwined and swinging innocently, humming a song with a voice of clarity and serenity.

She was tempted to finish her job now; the death of Fire Princess Azula would satisfy the Whisper. But, she could almost feel it in the air, tasted the magic, old magic, even with her mask on. A powerful magician used to live here, she guessed. The magic was old and powerful, indeed; not something that could be done by any neophyte or in recent years. It was the work of at least someone who was on par with thr Mother Superior of the Sirens or the Senior Fire Sage Kaja, and the protective barrier was at least a decade old.

The assassin pushed the tight hood of her garb down with one hand and, with the other, took off her mask slightly, pushing it to the side; her right eyes, bearing the blue color of the ocean, crinkled at the Manor. She could almost see the threads of magical power, invisible to the naked eyes, surrounding the wall, the statues, the manor itself.

"Another time", she muttered under her breath, licking her lips.

The autumn breeze flew past, dissolving her very body into shadow and dispersing her like dust into the wind.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Zuko put several pieces of silver on the table and drank the rest of his tea, got up and weaved his way through the packed restaurant downtown, all the while pondering if he and Mai were doing this dating thing wrong. The longest he and Mai spent outside was two hours and the most they did was sitting on the hill watching sunset in each other arms. Young Master Zato Lang and Young Lady Ty Ren had spent the entire evening walking around the Caldera, visiting stores and galleries, viewing flowers, arts, and the beauties of the Caldera. Zato even won Ty Ren a stuffed turtle-duck in a small festival they passed through, earning himself a chaste kiss on the cheek; the last time Zuko gave Mai a present, she asked him why she would want a bracelet when she already had so many. Zuko ended up giving it to Azula who did not even have the courtesy to hide that knowing smug smirk of hers.

He was so lost in thought when Zato asked his opinion about a pair of armlet he was about to buy for his fiancée, Zuko gasped loudly and took a step back instead of keeping cool and pretending to be someone else.

"How did you know?" Zuko pulled the hood of his red robe off, abandoning all pretenses.

"You weren't as subtle as you thought you are", Zato and Ty Ren bowed a little. "I made you since we entered the city."

"Oh…" Zuko grumbled, mentally beating himself; and he was supposed to be the Blue Spirit.

"So, mind telling me why you're stalking our date?" Zato asked quaintly, exchanging loving glances with Ty Ren, gesturing Zuko to walk with them.

"I thought you were with Ty Lee", Zuko lied smoothly; he never stalked a target maskless without a cover story. "Naturally, I got a little worried. I am quite fond of Ty Lee", he faked a smile at Ty Ren. "She's like a little sister I never have."

"What're you talking about? You have Azula", Zato snickered; one look at Zuko's blank face and he digressed. "Right. Point taken", Zato muttered. "But, hey, what do you mean I was with Ty Lee. You _know_ we are engaged… …you know, right?"

"Actually, I don't. Congratulations", Zuko inclined his head curtly.

"Are you sure you don't know?" Zato frowned deeply. "I borrowed the services of the Royal Engraver for the betrothal necklace; you hooked me up."

"I forgot", Zuko shrugged. "I'm quite old, you know."

A commotion ensued ahead, people were screaming and flying as a muscularly built man, clad in a dark hooded garb, black metal armor, and black engraved metallic mask, stampeded forward, knocking people out of his way like a mad lion-bull.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula scowled, crossing her arms across her chest, her blanket pulled to her waist as she sat on the bed, playing around with a plume of blue fire that was floating in front of her like a wisp, following her mental command. Avi barked adorably at it, jumping up and down, trying to snatch it in its snout. The puppy bounced up higher and touched the unburning flame with its nose and wagged its tail as it landed, heaving and keeping its amber eyes fixed on the flame. It turned its head to Azula as if asking for a praise. Azula smiled and patted its head slightly.

She slid down to her back and Avi tried to pull the blanket over her shoulder; its tiny self failed but Azula found it so adorable. She giggled and pulled the blanket herself, patting the spot near in front of her where Avi quickly lay down.

Agni, how she hoped Chit Sang and Jee had never showed up. Azula really really need a hug right now. Jee and Chit Sang had been her bodyguards since the day she was born. Azula was born on the auspicious Day of Litha, the Summer Solstice, the Day of Life Abundance. Many great people, including the Grand Flame Master Roku, were born on such day.

When she was a baby, as she was often told, flames danced for her whenever she was around, reacting to her chi. The Grand Flame Master immediately took a liking to her, showering her with gifts and affections from day one; from dolls and toys, sweets and treats, when she was a toddler to weapons and jewelries when she got older, even an estate somewhere in the colonies and a rare steed of silver-haired winged-horse that just died of old age two years ago.

Jee and Chit Sang were handpicked by the old Master himself to be his precious great-granddaughter's bodyguards; Jee was a veteran Navy lieutenant with a stellar career and Chit Sang used to be an undefeated firebending champion. Upon Roku's request, the two were trained to be Royal Procession and posted as the young Princess' personal bodyguards. The two had been serving and protecting Azula since the girl was in her crib and they were brutally protective of her. Lin had offered them a room but his hospitality was reciprocated by sharp glares. They had insisted that they would stand guard outside Azula's door, making it that much harder for one to sneak into the other's room.

Azula had huffed loudly and slammed the door hard in their faces, complementing her point by casting numerous spells on the door; from the sound of it, someone (Chit Sang) knocked on the door, trying to make her see reason, in the middle of her casting a spell. That someone had screamed loudly and Azula had drawn small pleasure from it.

But, truly, she wanted to be there, in the other room, with Lin.

And Azula was used to getting what she wanted. She climbed out the window and levitated with her blue flame under her feet quietly around the outside of the house to Lin's window, hoping Avi would not wake up and bark all night; Chit Sang and Jee would be suspicious.

Azula felt a sense of foreboding when she found the window open. She leaped in and found the room empty. A shining deep green caught her eyes and she walked towards it; it was the jade flute on the sword pedestal at the foot of the bed and, to add to Azula's growing bad feeling, Frost, the newly rechristened moon steel sword, was there above the flute on the upper tier of the pedestal.

Azula flew to the bed and pulled the cover off, finding a pillow underneath the blanket.

"No… no, no, no…" she scanned the room, blue flame overtaking the torches and lanterns, bathing the room in sapphire hue. She noticed the closet door open and a false wall at the other end of the room stood ajar. She darted to it and pulled it open; a hidden arsenal of swords mounted on the wall and polearms fixed vertically in their stands greeted her and she noticed one of the swords was missing.

"Oh, no…"

-B-L-O-O-D-

"I knew I would find you here."

The blue-eyed assassin was not expecting this. And here she was, sitting on a rock on the cliff side, overlooking the ocean. She was hoping she could enjoy the night in the open, hence the mask off and on the grassy ground, and her long dark brown hair free of its ponytail and fluttered wildly in the windy air. Luckily, the assassin of ocean blue eyes had her back turned to the intruder. She picked up the mask and put it on before she leaned back on her hands and tilted her head back ever so slightly.

"We assassins think alike, huh?" Lin sneered and the assassin could hear the sound on him unsheathing his two-handed battle jian and threw the scabbard away.

"Hardly", the female masked assassin spoke finally, standing up and stretching uncaringly. "If I were you, I'd drop the greeting and strike myself in the back."

Lin's eye twitched; roaring, he twirled in the air and dragged the sword along in the flight, bringing it down in a vertical slash that sent an arc of bright yellow-cored orange flame. The assassin spun like a dancer and landed in a graceful low crouch stance; she stepped forward, keeping low, and whipped her arms to the side, sending darts towards the boy.

Lin evaded most of it, knocked down one with his hefty sword, and caught one in his hand; he noticed the red lacquered wood and brighter shade of red on the fletching, and the small serration along two of the four blades at the tip. Lin snapped it in two and threw the pieces to the ground. He let the tip of his sword down to the ground –it was heavy- and regulated his breath, waiting for the confrontation. The sword he was using was a battle jian, designed for heavy duty clashes with other, often thicker and studier, weapons. It was all black with silver accent, dark lacquered iron pine fitting on the exterior, hilt thirty centimeters long with silver frame on the pommel, a ring in the middle, and upper end, engraved with cloudy flame pattern; the scabbard had silver plating at the base and the upper handle part, also engraved, and the blade was four centimeters wide, thick and study, and had the length of ninety centimeters. A sword that was truly designed for battle, for killing.

Lin was not sure how he should advance; the assassin had not shown any bending skills and her blade was lost. She had her Gift and Lin truly did not know how he should face that; firebending and physical attack, as their first encounter had proven, would not work. Azula had used Light Magic to great effect, proving that magic was a viable option, but Lin's analytical mind drew the conclusion that Azula's success was akin to pouring water to put off flame; Lin and the Royal Processions failure was like trying to put off fire by… staring at it, or singing it a song, or something: their approach was completely unrelated to the matter at hand, like drinking water by pouring it one one's skin and let it be absorbed. Logic had a role, yes, as Light is the opposite of Shadow, but as far as result goes, trying to hurt a being in a pure magical form with physical attacks was completely and utterly ridiculous.

Problem is, Lin had little to no knowledge regarding Light Magic or any form of offensive magic. Azula had taught him the basic of controlling Life Force, or Mana, as Azula once said the Ancient word is, and how to regulate it to perform small magical feats. The first thing Azula taught him was Mind Magic with the hope that it could help him reign his visions in. Azula taught him how to focus his mind and hold against mental probe, how to use Mana to jolt his mind awake, keeping him alert despite little rest. Azula had also taught him some simple healing spells for flesh wound and, after many weeks of pestering and… favors (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), Azula taught him a little Shadow Magic –they spun a bottle for this; Lin was hoping for Alteration Magic since he was so impressed when Azula used it to transformed stone into a lump of gold with a simple touch.

And there she was, an assassin Gifted with the very magic Lin knew so little about. The irony was felt.

Lin shifted his stance, calculating his move; the assassin titled her head, scrutinizing, waiting for his next move. Rain started to fall, small droplets gave way to earnest downpour in matter of seconds. Lightning flashed in the distant and the two dark figures leaped at each other at the roar of a thunder.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Zuko punched a barrage of flame but the figure in dark stood still, raising his arms to defend himself; Ty Ren leaped to his side, stance ready, and Zato picked himself up from the crashed stand that used to sell honeyed dried fruit. Sticky and dripping with amber colored liquid, wiping a piece of dried mango off his face, the Young Master moved to Zuko's other side.

Some guards had broken away from the panicking crowd and took the spot between the three obviously noble youths and the absolutely dangerous looking masked man; not hard to guess which side they took. Zuko let up on his barrage, holding his smoky hands ready in his stance.

"What _is_ that?" Zato nearly had to shout over the commotion as the guards began the offense with their spears; the figure, fighting unarmed, caught the spear thrust under his arm and rammed his other arm down at the shafts like a mallet, snapping the two weapons like toothpicks.

Zuko and Ty Ren exchanged glances; the Prince noticed fear in the stormy gray eyes of the girl. Of course, being an ancient vampiric bloodline, the Tys had the privilege of being invited to the induction ceremony of the Shadow Brotherhood, held every four years at the Royal Palace. The House of Lang was relatively young and had not yet earned a high enough standing. Zato knew as much about the Shadow Brotherhood as any Li, Lee, Ly: that it existed and the reigning Fire Lord owned them. The Whispered Brothers was not a common knowledge among the nobles and the populace did not even know that they existed.

Ty Ren, however, knew; her own sister was one.

A group of highly dangerous Gifted individuals, trained in the art of murder and probably the deadliest force the Four Nation would ever know.

And here is one charging at them right now.

Zato, a fencer, assumed a stance with the short paper-thin but wickedly sharp sword of his, knowing his role as anything but the vanguard in a team fight; Zuko, being the only other male, took the charge with his bending, hoping to hell he had his dao sabers with him. His fire blasts did not even slow the assassin down. The tall muscular man tackled him on the gut and lifted him off his feet, charging ahead still with the Prince latched on him; Zato sidestepped and slashed the unprotected leg as the assassin dashed by. He drew blood and felt the blade grating the bone but the assassin did not slow down.

Zuko grunted loudly and had the wind knocked off of him when the assassin slammed his back to the wall of a building behind him; bricks from the feel of it. His vision grew blurry as pain invaded his system; the last thing he saw before his vision blinked out into the dark once was the brownish red blur of Zato slashing with highly flourished movement of fencing style of swordsmanship at the figure and Ty Ren leaping away, grimacing and waving her sore hand after an unsuccessful hit on the assassin's armor.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Lin picked himself up from the ground, using his sword to help him stand; he spat a mouthful of metallic taste to the ground and tried to ignore the blood on the puddle of rainwater there, mixed with his spit. The assassin was dancing, twirling and humming, her black hair whipping droplets of water everywhere.

Popping his shoulder back on, Lin readied his stance once more. "At least tell me this", Lin demanded, heaving suddenly but he suppressed most of it; the chill of the pouring rain did not help his endeavor. "What crime has Princess Azula committed? Why does Fire Lord Azulon want her dead?"

"Hmm… dunno", the figure stopped and shrugged. "My turn. What's your Gift?"

Lin's jaw hardened.

"I mean", the figure took an elegant step forward. "You have been using your sword and firebending. What about magic? Your Gift? I wanna see."

Lin roared and dashed ahead with a plain slash that the figure sidestepped easily.

"I mean…" the figure turned into a blob of shadow and slammed herself square on Lin's chest, sending him to the ground. "…it's certainly not rapid healing. You're bleeding quite a lot", she commented, materializing again, tapping the chin of her mask. "Come on, show me. It'll only be fair. After all…" she evaded another slash and turned to shadow again, slamming Lin into the ground once more. "…you've seen mine."

Lin sprung up and dashed forward again, sword alight in flame. Rain diminished the effectiveness of the flame whip and the female assassin spun forward, closing in so close to Lin's face the latter could count the lines on her mask and peer through the dark hollow opening on her eye slit and see the orbs of bright ocean blue; the last one startled Lin so much he could not react when the assassin slipped into his personal space, one fingerless-gloved hand traced its way up, cold-tipped fingers caressing his cheek softly like a lover would.

"Hmm… what a shame. Such a handsome face", the assassin purred.

Lin slashed his sword at her but she turned to shadow once more and the shadow swarmed the boy like a horde of wasp-scorpion and it solidified around Lin, coiling his body from the legs up like rope, binding his arms to his body, and tightened so much Lin's arms grew numb and he dropped his sword. The top part of the assassin materialized while her lower extremities waist down stayed in the form of coiling shadow around the boy, giving her the resemblance to the half-serpent monster from the children tale.

"You're stubborn, I give you that", the assassin purred almost condescendingly. "Still won't show me your power?" the shadow coiling Lin tightened so much it hurt but Lin would not even scream, grimacing from pain, yes, but he would not give the assassin the satisfaction. He could feel blood oozing out from the cut on his forehead but he kept staring indignantly, trying to regulate what breath he could for at least one fire breath.

"You're a Whispered, I know. I can tell", the assassin's voice grew dull, apparently mistaking Lin's lack of magic show as him not tipping his hand as another Whispered. "I can feel the Gray Flame on you—" She stopped abruptly and grew quiet. Then, she whipped her head back and laughed. "You're _human_?" she laughed some more. "My, what rarity: a human Whispered", her body inched closer, too close for comfort; she reached for her mask and lifted it up slightly, exposing her smirking pink lips and heart-shaped jaw, and, dabbing blood that flowed down from Lin's cut forehead, she brought the blood-soaked finger to her mouth, tasting his blood and rainwater.

Drops of rain pinging off the metal mask gave Lin one last desperate idea.

He separated the Yin and Yang of his chi with great difficulty, constrained and squeezed he was, and let the sparks from the collision reign.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Zato stepped back in his sword dance gradually as the assassin pushed him back; his blade failed to penetrate the assassin's dark metal bracers and breastplate, though Zato did score several cuts and stabs on the unprotected upper arm and legs of the dark hooded figure. Three guards who were still standing held their spears at ready around the two, ready to attack given the chance.

Many injured guards and some civilians were lying around, bested by the assassin who fought with brute strength alone; carts and kiosk broken by bodies being thrown at them, and in a ruble of a cart that used to sell ornamental chopsticks and porcelain figurines, Ty Ren was trying his best to keep Zuko from slipping to unconsciousness.

"Urgh…" Zuko grunted, sitting up and gripping his cut head, and pulled a chopstick that got lodged on his arm; soft mist of blood color oozed out from the cut and healed the wound. "Who's that?"

"I apologize, Your Highness, but I was hoping you'd know", Ty Ren's voice wavered and Zuko felt weirded out by such formality coming out from someone who had Ty Lee's face.

"There must be a misunderstanding", Zuko voiced his opinion as the assassin recklessly lunged towards Zato and his fast blade, and swatted him away like he weighed nothing at all. The assassin turned to Zuko and charged like a mad bull-lion; Zuko's face transformed to its fanged form as he accessed his vampiric powers and pushed Ty Ren out of the way. He stood his ground and held the assassin's charge as it came, and landed a punch that on his jaw that would normally snap a person's neck.

The assassin's head whipped violently but Zuko felt something off in the resistance his fist met; so great aresitance he might have bruised his knuckle and broken a few fingers. The assassin's masked and hooded head snapped back to place, cracking his neck loudly in the process, completely fine; if not for the smell of bloody gashing wound, Zuko would have guessed this one was Gifted with invulnerability.

Not giving the assassin a chance to rest, Zuko landed series of punches augmented by his flame; the assassin took it all, staggering back, clearly feeling the force behind the punches, but he managed to catch the last one aimed at his jaw. With a loud grunt, he swung the arm he caught and the Prince along with it to a wall of a gated establishment at his left. Zuko hit the wall and cracked the paintjob.

The assassin charged at him again, hence proving Zuko's fear: _he_ was the target.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Lin separated the Yin and Yang of his chi and let them collide back with each other, creating sparks of pure energy; he let the energy roam free and blue tendrils of lightning sparked around him, conducted by water, zapping the materialized body of the assassin along. Their screams pierced the rainy night.

Limply, Lin fell to his knees and as the shadow disappeared, and fell on his face to the ground as his arms failed to hold his weight; the energy must be _guided_ out, he remembered the lesson the Republic Citizen had taught him, and the control must be precise. He had let it run unbridled and zapped himself in the process.

The assassin wobbled a little before her knees regained strength, smoking from where metals were on his body; her bracers, breastplates and pauldrons, mask, and boots.

"Clever", a sense of anger tainted her sultry tone. "Well, my orders _are_ absolute and, being a Whispered yourself, you know that we have relative freedom in how we do our job; I'm sure it's okay for me to kill _you_ in the process", she reached down and grabbed Lin's ponytail, dragging the slightly taller and barely conscious boy up. "You understand", the female assassin said, masked face so close to Lin's face, her free hand holding a thin small razor with red curved blade to Lin's jugular. "It's nothing personal."

Unable to move a muscle, hurting all over, Lin's only regret was that he was unable to protect Azula.

-B-L-O-O-D-

In the dark room carved out into the stone of an underground cave, a large man clad in a high-ranking military armor of dark with bright red trim, a red sash across the chest to his left shoulder, whose dark brown hair was in a top-knot and smug face framed by large sideburns, stood with hands clasped behind his back.

_How wonderful_, he mentally commented at the scrying mirrors; flat circular reflective disks fitted onto some strange stiff but move- and bendable spine of metal, designed in such a way that the numerous -definitely more than ten- mirrors could be moved around. Three in front of him were showing something other than his reflection; one was the face of a defeated boy of wet jet-black ponytailed hair, held by the throat, so close the man could see the thin gash on his face; the second showed a scarred Fire Prince's hideous vampire face, exchanging fists with such intensity –the man chuckled when the Prince was downed by a particularly nasty one hitting him square on the face; the third showed a pair of youths in a garden, sitting side by side on a long bench.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Prince Lu Ten, despite his charming and suave ways with the ladies, was actually awkward when it comes to romance; a fact that had been a source of endless entertainment for his baby cousin Azula. Once, Lu Ten jabbed back, pointing out that Azula herself never had a date. The sly Fire Princess then brought up the prospect of her actually dating someone, a true horror for the Prince Lu Ten, who promptly took his words back.

And there he was, sitting by Ty Lee's side, after an evening spent trying to set straight what might have been misunderstood. Apparently, their Aunt Ursa, who was surprisingly candid and unashamed of what she did, drugged him by sprinkling some potent powder on his bun when Lu Ten was not looking; Ty Lee was a collateral damage since she shared Lu Ten's bun. According to the Lady, Lu Ten and Ty Lee entered a bout of drunkenness and they decided to lock them in Lu Ten's room to cool off; literally cool off since the unfortunate side effect of the powder is the spiking of body temperature, more apparent among firebenders.

To ease Lu Ten's irked mind, Ursa did say that she had sent the Princess' Guards to fetch Azula with Azula's personal airship. And, just in case anyone was wondering, they did _not_ make the trip to the Royal Physician.

"So…" he drawled.

"So…" Ty Lee laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well, I—", they spoke at the same time and ended up laughing nervously. "You go first", Lu Ten said kindly.

"Um… well, I'm glad we straightened that out", Ty Lee muttered, looking away.

"Yeah, me to", Lu Ten cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I'm sorry that it happened at all", he bristled suddenly. "N-not that I don't like it. I mean… well, to be honest, my eyes were having a fest; you are _very_ hot."

Ty Lee gasped offendedly and shoved the Prince off the bench. She stomped up and walked away, but Lu Ten caught her wrist.

The Prince's lips crashed into hers and, to her own bewilderment, she kissed back.

"What I meant to say is…" Lu Ten pulled away a little. "…you are very beautiful and…" he kissed her one more time. "…would the Lady give me the honor of being my date for the Autumn Light Festival?"

Ty Lee bit her lower lip so she would not smile too much, fixing her gaze at the fold of Lu Ten's shoulder mantle on his chest. She nodded sheepishly.

"Thank you", Lu Ten replied quaintly. "Did I pull that off?"

Ty Lee chuckled. She tiptoed and crashed her lips to the Prince's as a reply.

From the darkness of the shadow in the corner of the hallway, a masked hooded figure shifted ever so slightly.

-B-L-O-O-D-

The man in the room, in front of the scrying mirrors, stepped away. Behind him was a circular pattern, a magic circle, carved onto the smoothened floor. In the middle was a beam, circular and as tall as his waist, housing a bust of a hooded and masked figure, the masked was that of a beautiful lynx with openings on the eyes and mouth. The man leaned down and whispered to the ear of the bust. "Enough."

-B-L-O-O-D-

The assassin received a blow from Zuko willingly and seemingly unfazed by the fist that was fueled by his vampire strength and his firebending. He was so ready to finally end this thing but the Whisper came to him. Instead, he grabbed the Prince by the front of his garb and threw him to the incoming attackers of Zato and some town guards.

The assassin watched the Prince tumbling down the four men and ran away into the crowd, knocking people down like they were some paper dolls.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Oh, party-pooper", the female assassin muttered with a voice that was borderline bored; the blade in her hand twirled and disappeared into her bracer. "You are one lucky boy", she said in a tone of a temptress, lifting her mask a little as she leaned closer to Lin's voice and licked his cut lip, tasting his blood. Smirking, she threw Lin away like some ragdoll and fixed her mask back on.

"Later~", she waved a bit and disappeared into the night as a puff of shadow.

Lying in the rain, Lin lost the last vestige of his consciousness.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Ty Lee waved as she turned on the corner of the hallway ahead, flustered with a dash of bright pink on her cheeks, accentuated by her adorable smile. Lu Ten smiled and waved back. He waited for a few moments after Ty Lee disappeared before he turned to the hooded and masked figure standing behind him with a ninjato raised above her head.

Slowly, Lu Ten smirked and assumed a… fighting stance…? Maybe…

He waved his arms around like he was doing a chicken dance and his final form was something that looked like a stork-crane one-legged stance, with his arms to his side like wings and one leg pulled up.

The figure stayed still for a moment, frowning inside her mask, then she lowered her blade and sheathed it back.

"It's over", she said, her voice muffled by her mask. "The connection is off."

"Oh, good", Lu Ten put his foot down. "Because, I was gonna, you know…" he made the posture once more, kicking his raised foot. "…do the Deranged Eagle-Snake Seeking Justice form. Really dangerous, highly deadly."

"…of course, Your Highness", the figure managed.

"Yeah…" Lu Ten cleared his throat. Uh, awkward…

"Anyway", the Prince straightened up, trying to assume his regal royal self. "How did Zuko and Azula do, Bara?"

Bara, the assassin, inclined her head slightly. "Sufficiently."

-B-L-O-O-D-

The man in the high-ranking military uniform pushed the three normalized mirrors away. He pulled two different mirrors to the front, taking out a small vial of blood and poured them to the surface of the mirrors; the reflective surface absorbed the dark viscous liquid like sponge.

The surface of both mirrors rippled like water and settled into the view of identical but differently-angled scene of three teenagers sitting across a campfire; shaggy-haired boy chewing a blade of grass sharpening his pair of hook-swords, another shaggy-haired boy, smaller and thinner than the first one, grilling some fish on the campfire, and a thin boy wearing a conical straw hat, fixing his bowstring.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Fire Lord Azulon sipped his tea and enjoying every last bit of it. Fire Lady Illah refilled his cup and smiled warmly.

"Today is quite…" Azulon drawled, looking for the appropriate perfect word. "…quiet."

"Prince Zuko and Princess Azula…" Fire Lady Illah stopped midsentence. "Actually, I don't know what they do today. Well, Lu Ten—", she stopped again. "Now, I'm worried."

"I'm sure they are fine", Azulon dismissed it, sipping his tea. He set his cup down and waited for Illah to say something; sadly, Illah was also hoping Azulon would say something.

"Perhaps Iroh should remarry", Illah pondered aloud.

-B-L-O-O-D-

On the way to his bed, General Iroh sneezed loudly.


	13. Chapter 13 - Calm

**Chapter 13 – Calm**

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

_The face of the lynx mask inched closer to his and he heard the sultry giggle of the assassin…_

_He punched blast of flame but his fire failed him; she simply dissolved into shadow, letting his fire flew through her…_

_And the shadow, the masked shadow, lunged towards him; the small almost hidden Fire Nation insignia on the mask grew bigger and bigger until it swallowed him whole…_

Lin shot up and pain shot through him all of a sudden. Groaning and hurting so very much, he plopped back as slowly as his spastic and stiffened body could. Never before he felt so grateful for a fluffy bed.

And warm blanket.

He suddenly realized that he was only in his pants and his torso was bandaged neatly and his left hand was grasped by the girl lying awake next to him. Azula looked very unhappy and she looked odd to Lin lying in the bed in her day clothes and top-knot. For a few silent seconds they just stared into each other's eyes.

Azula broke the silence. "You went after her", she said more calmly than Lin thought she would.

"I thought I could take her", Lin tried to shrug but his left shoulder was hurting much. "She was fast."

"No, she wasn't", Azula inched closer, holding Lin in her arms, tucking his head under her chin, stroking his head like a little child's, almost possessively. "You should have waited for me. You should have taken me along with you."

"Sorry", Lin muttered, taking comfort in Azula's hand stroking his head, her shoulder pillowing his head, her flowery scent and comfortable warmth enveloping him.

"Dummy", Azula muttered, scowling for some reason.

Lin snickered softly. "By the way, your bodyguards don't mind you're here in my room?"

"Nope. We came into an understanding", Azula said.

Outside the door, Chit Sang, and his blackened left eye, and Jee, with his bruised nose, stood guard.

"She escaped, huh?" Lin asked.

"Yeah", Azula replied just as softly. "We found you unconscious on the hill. We brought you back here and patched you up."

"Did you put the bandage on me?" Lin asked interestedly.

"No, Jee did", Azula smirked impishly. "Don't worry, he was gentle."

Lin tried to laugh but groaned instead; his sides were killing him. Azula, smiling weakly, shifted on top of him, kissing his lips tenderly.

"Say it", Lin teased.

"Stupid", Azula pouted.

Lin kissed her one more time. "I love you."

-B-L-O-O-D-

All things considered, Zuko was glad he could heal his bruises on his face overnight; he was so not in the mood to face his mama bear of a mother. He had a hard time chewing his breakfast though, his jaw sore and hurting each time he moved it. He settled for some bits of bread and a lot of tea to wash it down with; Uncle Iroh was reasonably happy that morning.

"More tea, nephew?" Iroh offered, picking up his teapot. "This is your favorite chrysanthemum."

"It's not my favorite", Zuko grumbled, lifting his cup nonetheless. "It's Azula's."

"Oh", Iroh frowned. "Oh, yes, I remember."

"Speaking of Azula", Ursa put her bowl and chopsticks down.

"I haven't heard from her since", Zuko said dismissively. Seriously, he thought. Lu Ten was the closest to her and she idolized their father; and since the moment she went missing, people were coming to _him_ for information.

"That is worrying", Ursa sighed. "What about the Princess' Guards? Any news?"

"How should I know?" Zuko frowned. "I'm not the one who sent them."

"Oh, right", Ursa blinked several times, looking ditzy. "That'd be me."

Ozai snapped his chopsticks loudly.

"Oh, yes, husband", Ursa turned to him, as if she had not realized Ozai was in the room. "Azula's been missing for two days now. This is the third day."

Ozai might have kept his calm façade but the small charcoal stove on the table Iroh used to brew his tea burst into inferno, the butt of the porcelain teapot turned angry red hot. Calmly, the Fire Prince put down his bowl and broken chopsticks, picked up his cup and drank the rest of it, dabbed his mouth with a napkin, and stood up. He walked over to Ursa, put his hands gently on the Lady's shoulders, and kissed her chastely on the cheek.

On the way out, he stopped by one of the armed guards standing outside the dining hall, pulled the guard's saber free of his waist, inspected the keenness of the blade, and took it with him as he walked away.

Ursa, Zuko, and Iroh watched Ozai leave in silence.

"Now", Ursa started, amber eyes still fixed on the entrance where the guards seemed a bit conflicted between being confused of what had just happened and whether or not he should stop hiding it. "Why do I feel like I've just unleashed a terrible evil on the world?"

-B-L-O-O-D-

The clinking of the chain woke him up. He woke up to the same old view, same old noise. Stone walls, dim lighting, dripping water somewhere (this time, right on top of his head), faraway echo of people talking.

The vagabonds moved a lot, being a community borne of persecution and paranoia they were, though they stayed underground. The Republic City's underground tunnel work was the most extensive on earth, the very system was also borne of paranoia of their Fire Nation overlords would suddenly find out that the Colonies of Yu Dao were actually establishing their own Nation, hence the underground bunker disguised a sewer network crisscrossing underneath the entire colonies and had access to all key and public buildings in the whole United Republic of Nations, as they have begun to call themselves.

With no sunlight or a compass, and Gommu being blatantly unhelpful in this regard, Mako did not know where they were heading; east, west, south? And the lack of sunlight had taken a toll on his inner fire. He could feel his strength and bending slipping inch by inch, day by day, and he did not like it when his inner fire was weak; the last time this happened, the demon inside him almost broke free and he swore Bolin never looked at him the same way ever since.

The cell door creaked open and two burly men clad in thick trousers and boots, bare-chested safe for their straps across their chests holding their pauldron in place, all leather and worn out, and a tall well-built woman with long hair and outfit of similar minimalist leather theme as the men; tight trousers and boots, her breastplate that covered only her breasts and upper abdomen, baring her upper chest and midriff, and pauldrons on both shoulders were scratched metal and the sides of her trousers were slit and held together by a long crisscrossing lace. The woman stepped in while the two men stood guard by the door.

Her smile was pleasant, Mako noticed, but venom was practically dripping from her eyes, her amber eyes that were framed by messy locks of brown hair falling out from her ponytail. She put down the tray of food she brought on the stool nearby and crouched down in front of Mako, invading this personal space as she put herself between his two spread legs. Like a spoilt lover, she dropped her slender but muscular arms around Mako, leather fingerless-gloved bracers grazed his neck.

Button nose inched so close it practically touched his, and the woman, slight tanned skin that used to be pale, smirking pale pink lips, crinkling eyes, and circlets of vines tattooed around her upper arms, purred as she settled down. When Mako showed no response other than his defiant stare into her eyes, she repositioned herself, straddling him by the waist, and moved slightly, grinding him underneath her crotch. The woman raised her head and closed her eyes, seemingly enjoying the experience if her slight purr was anything to go by.

Without warning, she smashed her lips on Mako's.

Gommu, watching from the sidelines, halted his bread midair. "Um…" he swallowed. "If you guys are really gonna do that, I can leave."

One of the guards, the very very big guards with biceps the size of a melon, turned to Gommu and snarled, making a growling noise that was more animal than human. "Gotcha. Stay and watch", Gommu's shoulders slumped, turning back to the make out session just in time for the view of Mako pushing the girl away.

The female grinned, more like snarled, really, as her grin looked feral despite her perfect rows of white teeth. She flicked her hair off her eyes and roughly pushed Mako's hands from her shoulders away, returning her arms around the boy's neck.

"A vampire…" she said gleefully. "…who isn't really a vampire."

Mako's jaw hardened, glaring.

"Oh, don't fight it, pretty boy", the girl licked her lips, getting on her knees, pressing closer; her chest nearly touched Mako's face. "You're weak now. No sun, no blood, little food and water. Although, I must confess, I'm a little surprised you haven't croaked yet after so long without blood."

The corner of the captive's mouth tipped up in a condescending smirk. "I'm nothing like you."

"Oh, I beg to differ", the woman smiled, settling down again, looking into Mako's face with an almost childish glee. When Mako showed no reaction, she tilted her heads to the sides a bit, as if trying to jog his memory. "Come on, bro", she goaded, gesturing to her face. "Remember me?"

Mako suddenly looked lost. "…Wha…?"

The girl whipped her head back and laughed. "Oh, come on, Mako! Stop playing games", she whipped her hair back with a hand. "It's me. Nami. Little Nam-Nam; although, I must warn you, you call me that and I'm gonna drive a hot poker up your ass."

Mako remained stoic. "Who…?"

Nami snickered but, as her eyes never left Mako's face, she noticed true genuine bewilderment and her smile melted. "You… don't remember?" she asked, looking hurt. "None of it? Me…? You don't remember me? The cave? _Anything_?"

"What are you talking about?" Mako snapped. "What cave?" as he said it, a vague dark damp cave lit by ghostly green light flashed to mind.

"You really don't remember?" Nami frowned deeply. "Alright", she muttered, pulling away, putting both hands, cold-tipped fingers holding his head in place. "Don't worry, Mako", she said with a new tone of caring that sounded strangely familiar to Mako. "It won't hurt a bit."

An old fear Mako did not even realize he had kicked in, quickening the pace of his heart as Nami's eyes turned into twin disks of bright green.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Lu Ten woke up with a lighter mood he had been in months. He felt great as he opened his window and had the sunlight hit him square in the eye; almost killed him since he just woke up but that's okay, his mood was left intact. In a bout of euphoria, he tried to jump into his bathtub, which was quite large as far as a bathtub goes, about four times as big, to be fair, but not much deeper than normal bathtub, and nearly shattered his tail bone, but that's okay, no harm done.

And when he got out of his bathroom, he completely forgot to put on underwear under his towel before he let the servants dress him; he swore some of the eunuch servants gave him the evil eye while the maids turned crimson and at an alarming speed. Still, that's okay, even if Lu Ten never felt so violated before in his life, Lu Ten braved through the awkward ten minutes with dignity and pride, head held up high.

After all…

He had got a girlfrieeeend!

Oh, flowers and clouds, honey and sugar… nothing but sweetness and soft gentle light of heaven, a breeze of soft air, the greatest comfort that was not at all overwhelming. Lu Ten was in love. Lu Ten was humming. Oh, song wanting to burst from his lungs, dance pleading to be unleashed from his feet. And he did that, really, jumping on the hallway, clicking his heels, worrying his entourage of servants. One of them were covertly sent by the others to fetch the Royal Physician quick.

He asked for a breakfast to go, further bewildering his servants but they quickly recovered, most have been serving the wayward and strange Fire Prince for centuries, and they had gotten used to Lu Ten and his antics. The Fire Prince also asked for a roll of parchment and a set of ink and penbrush to be prepared, along with a messenger hawk with some very specific features as requested by the Prince, namely 'plump, fat, but young and healthy, and could make you want to smile when you look at it' as he put it.

And, to add a layer of frown to the entourages' forehead, Fire Prince Lu Ten asked them to be brought to the South Wing, where the arsenal is.

The servants and maids said nothing; it was not their place to question orders.

On the way to the South Wing, Fire Prince Lu Ten ran into his beloved Aunt Ursa; he bowed, never stopped humming, and caught the giggling lady gently by the waist and hand, and danced a few round with her, proclaiming, when asked by the slightly concerned lady, that he was the 'bestest' he could ever be. He bid his goodbye and stopped by the Royal Armory on his way out.

A grand room, it was; varnished wood of dark blood-red color, with fiery bright red trims, the vast room boasted the most complete collection of weapons and armors ever invented in the Nation from all ages. The content was available for use only for the Royal Family and each of the 'ordinary' weapons and armors were displayed in a set of eight, on rows and rows of mannequins, stands, and pedestals. Lu Ten lingered a little at the mannequin that wore the old version of the Fire Nation armor, the one that had a somewhat tall helmet, to accommodate the top-knot, and a pair of long thin antennae.

Oh, how Lu Ten missed the good old days. They were using this sort of model before Zuko was born; this very model was the one worn by those courageous soldiers and warriors that sowed the seed of chivalry and honor in Lu Ten's young mind.

Smiling one last time, Lu Ten moved past those rows and rows of armors and weapons, and descended the raised platform inside the armory that housed the very weapons used by the Royal Family past and present.

On the deepest wall was a layered pedestal set for armor and weapons stands that housed the battle regalia of the Royal Family who had etched their names in history. Reigning supreme was Fire Lord Sozin's gold-plated red metal armor, with majestic dragon head pauldrons, fiery red silk cape with dark flame-patterned trim, metal-plated red sash and boots, dragon head helmet, and his famous trident that bore the three-pronged insignia shape with longer middle prong and bright red shaft with engraved gold plates on the middle.

Ah, what honor, Lu Ten thought, gazing at the battle armor of the Fire Lords, Princes, and Princesses of the past; Fire Lord Hirue crimson dragon scale armor and dragon tooth spear, Fire Prince Shen Jiang's black obsidian armor and battle axe, Fire Princess Izumi's cherry purple battledress and pearl-handled diamond-inlayed katana, Fire Lady Zanna's battle cloak on her kirin leather armor and her enchanted longbow, and many more. It brought pride to Lu Ten's chest whenever he came here, to view the legacy of his ancestors, the brave men and women of Fire Nation.

On the raised platform, he moved to the tables housing stands and pedestals for the armors and weapons of the currently living members of the Royal Family. On the middle of the row was Fire Lord Azulon's retired flame armor, designed with spiky edges on the pauldrons that spread out like flaming wings and made of pure molten gold plated on the layer of hard leather, bright yellow on the base of dark, with a cape made of heavy iron silk dyed with the color of bright red, and his old bronze sword, Majesty, one of the most famous and most distinctive sword of the old design, with tiger-shark skin wrapping the long ten inches of handle, pommel knobbed and shaped like flame, made of gold, hand guard big and shaped like dragons wings, and blade thick and wide, albeit, like many swords of that era, did not exceed eighty centimeters. The words was hefty and, rumor has it, had the bronze blade bearing the same color as the Fire Lord's dark amber eyes.

Lu Ten stood before it and bowed respectfully to it, to them all. He straightened up and looked around the tables, sighing deeply.

On Fire Lord Azulon's right side, stood tables bearing the spot dedicated for the males of the family. Iroh's table was on the immediate right and it was empty; General Iroh being the current Grand General and still active and all, at least on official capacity. Lu Ten's table was at his father's right but it was smaller and set a few feet behind it; his must not stood on the same line as his Uncle Ozai's. Ozai's table bore his old Royal Armor, dark with gold trim, and his headpiece on a cushioned tray below the armor where a helmet would be, awarded to him so very long time ago; so long ago most people had already forgotten that Fire Prince Ozai used to serve in the military. Zuko's table came next and it was positioned in the same manner as Lu Ten's.

Lu Ten's table bore his old armor, the very same one he wore at the last battle of Ba Sing Se; one that was custom-made for him as gift from his father, bearing strong resemblance to the ones worn by the Royal Procession. On the weapon stand, stood his old spear; six feet tall in total, including its one foot long highly-polished silver-alloy, hard but supple, leaf-shaped spearhead, and at the base of the spearhead was an engraving of a dragon head, fashioned in such a way it looked like the spearhead came out of the mouth opening, and tied to it was a detached tassel of silver horsehair, made of the hair of Swan, Azula's recently deceased winged-horse (Azula made it herself for a good luck charm), and the shaft was treated wax wood, lacquered black with rings and plates of gold fixed around it, more dominantly, the eight inches engraved gold on the middle, and the butt was capped with a square stamp-like knob.

Lu Ten smiled, a heavy smile that put a damper on his earlier light mood, as he picked up his old friend; the moment the weight of the weapon set in his hands, he could feel strength seeped into his being, like he was a soldier once more.

The Prince sighed and set the butt of the spear down; he gave the tables one long and slow sweeping gaze. Zuko's was completely empty. Fire Lady Illah's bore a battledress of silver breastplates and short plated skirt, hooded cape like the one worn by the Imperial Battlemages, but it was red silk with gold trim, with high boots plated with silver; Lu Ten quickly averted his glance to the scepter before he could imagine his grandmother in that extremely short skirt (of course, he did not know that the battledress was supposed to be worn over a full attire. Fire Lady Illah's scepter was probably the only item in the table that she had ever actually used. Ancient elder wood a foot shorter than Lu Ten's spear, smoothened shaft bearing its original brown color, and a bright red Blood Ruby the size of Lu Ten's fist fixed on the dragon-claw-shaped holder at the top.

On the left side of Fire Lord and Fire Lady's tables, an empty table was dedicated to his mother that he never knew. After that table were the ones dedicated for the other two females of his family. Ursa's table bore no armor but it held her old naginata and a padded cushion that housed several sets of throwing stars. Azula's table, much like Zuko's, was empty. Fire Prince Ozai, upon Azula being declared a master by Yu Yan the Jade-Eyed Archer, insisted that Azula should be permitted to display her bow there; Fire Lord Azulon refused to permit such action on the ground that Azula was too young for such honor. Lu Ten snickered at the memory, remembering how nonchalant Azula was at ebbing denied such privilege while her father was sulking like a petulant child for quite some time.

Lu Ten sighed again, deeper this time, heavier. He remembered spending time here with his cousins. Little Zuko would be so excited, running around pointing at things, asking him to recite the stories behind them and their owners; Little Azula would be too busy being held in her big cousin's death grip lest she snuck away and touched those dangerous pointy and sharp things. Lu Ten remembered all those years ago, holding Little Azula in his arms and Little Zuko by the shoulder, the three of them vowing to one day achieve a high enough merit to earn the Royal Armor and had the matching sets displayed in this very room.

So long ago it was, when the world made more sense and the war was the hunting ground for glory.

So long ago…

Now, his little cousin cared little about the world and his baby cousin cared little about people. It was cruel the things that they had to endure.

All because of Kyoshi, Lu Ten snarled, tightening his grip on his spear.

Regulating his breath, the Fire Prince bowed once more to the legacies of his ancestors and turned around, walking out with his spear Dragonfang. The surface of his mind desperately called for happy thoughts, no matter how insignificant –Zuko and Azula, his father and his tea, his Aunt Ursa and the dance they had just shared, Ty Lee and her big bright smile-, but the dark crevice of his mind whispered the words of reassurance.

"_Soon…"_ it whispered. _"Soon… everything will be put right…"_

-B-L-O-O-D-

Mai's gentle and cold hand caressing his cheek woke Zuko up. The youngest Prince smiled and rolled to his back, letting sleep drip away from his eyes. Mai sat on the bed beside him, clothed in a bright red robe he had never thought he would see her wear.

"You grandmother gave me this", Mai said, knowing what was on Zuko's mind; she raised her hand, tugging the side long sleeve of the heavily embroidered silk, inspecting it. "The color is too bright. It actually hurts my eyes."

Zuko snickered as he inched closer, mind running through the gutter.

"And no, you will not get me out of this", Mai said coldly, stopping Zuko on his track. "Not now, anyways. Fire Lady Illah has invited me to join her and your mother for lunch. I'm here to get you because I don't want to go there alone."

Zuko sighed. "I'll go get ready", he said, getting up and yawning wide.

"Rough night?" Mai asked, eyeing the bruises and cuts on Zuko's bare torso.

"You wouldn't believe it", Zuko muttered, getting up and stretching his back.

"I heard from Ty Lee", Mai said without changing her monotone. "Why would a Whispered Brother be after you?"

"Mistaken identity?" Zuko shrugged, pouring himself a glass of blood from the pitcher on his nightstand.

"With a scar on your face like that? Be sensible", Mai jabbed. "You should try investigating this further. Could be Ruon Jian", Mai braved an offhanded comment; Zuko whipped his head towards her direction furiously. "His father is a high-ranking officer, one of the Fire Lord's favorites."

"The Fire Lord will _never_ use the Shadow Brotherhood for such purpose", Zuko replied tersely. Mai's nonchalant shrug simply irked him more. Growling, he stomped to his bathroom and got ready for the afternoon.

The servants came in and dressed the Prince afterwards, all sending curious glances at the vampiress sitting on the bed, absentmindedly twirling a dangerous looking knife. Perhaps the rumors were true after all, they thought. Prince Zuko _was_ courting a lady. How wonderfully entertaining it would be for them.

Serving the Royal Family and the court was not always as it cracked up to be. It could be boring and exceedingly so. The royals lived long and they barely did anything worth gossiping about in the Palace. And with Prince Iroh never showing any interest in remarrying, Prince Ozai and Lady Ursa living a wonderfully happy marriage, and Princess Azula was deemed too young for courtship by his overbearing father, the source of court entertainment really hinges on the two younger Princes. They had little hope so far; Prince Lu Ten being a strange individual, was awkward in the arena of romance, despite having _the_ Prince Iroh as a father, and Prince Zuko lived the life of a slothful royal, sleeping in until the afternoon and going downtown at night. They had put their bet on Princess Azula finally maturing enough in the eyes her father. Who knew Prince Zuko would suddenly wind up in a courtship of his own.

Fire Lady Illah and Lady Ursa were waiting with some fresh ginseng tea, perfect for autumn, and some manta-shark fin soup, fancy food for the future daughter-in-law. Prince Zuko's presence was clearly not expected, though the two elder females was content with simply ignoring the Prince's presence and his multiple yawn during the conversation regarding arts, flower arranging, and dresses. Some jabs and hints regarding what they would use, put, display, and wear for the wedding, of course. Zuko would have got the hidden message had he not been too preoccupied in his mind, pondering upon the attack by the Whispered Brother.

The assassin fascinated Zuko in a bad way. He had heard a lot of the Gift –innate magical ability that some person had from birth. Any child in the Nation knew of the story about the Hapless Fire Sage, the one who could heal with his touch, who died of a turtle-duck dropped on his head from great highs by a bird. It served as a warning to any who wished to pursue and practice the Art of Magic recklessly.

Zuko himself had only ever seen such Gift once in his life. A man he met during his childhood –he forgot his name or even how he looked like-, but Zuko remembered when the man was talking to him and suddenly a large wolf spirit materialized out of nowhere. No spells, no chanting, no incantation; Zuko simplified the Gift as magic one could use without any preparation or spells. To use a Gift is as natural as to breath, like if bending was magic.

They had adjourned to the garden where the turtle-duck pond was, enjoying tea and cookies while the Fire Lady showed some fabric sample to the two females. Zuko dreaded the fact that Mai was actually showing more interest that she had been the whole lunch. Ursa and Illah rarely got along, being polar opposites as they were; Illah was a strict and distant matriarch while Ursa a warm and nurturing female figure. When the topic was the finer things of life though, like arts, dresses, plays, the other gooey girly stuff that made Zuko wanted to break his cup and slit his throat with the shard, the two ladies got along just fine.

Oh, how Zuko wished he could—

Wait a minute…

He got up and straightened his robe. "Fire Lady, Mother", he bowed to the two. "May I be excused? I have a bad feeling about Azula and I wish to go to Shu Jing immediately to fetch her."

"Hmm? Oh, yes, yes. Go", Fire Lady Illah dismissed him without looking while Ursa added. "Have fun, but not too much", and Mai gave a curt. "Bye", before the three resumed their conversation regarding, if Zuko got it right, the combination of Sing Huang Island's silk and Red Pearl Island's brocade.

Prince Zuko frowned at his girlfriend. Shaking his head a little, he turned on his heel and walked away as quickly as courtesy allowed. As he rounded the corner and vanished from their sights, however, he lifted the hem of his long robe and dashed to his room. He changed quickly into a simple enough travelling garb, discarding the heavy and restricting multi-layered royal garb, and fixed his dao saber on his back, his hair he let out of his stuffy top-knot. He packed light and made his way to the South Wing.

Only when his warship set sail and he stood at the bow, letting sea breeze flap his face and blew rustle his hair, did Zuko feel truly free.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Hey", Azula called, gently stroking Lin's chin.

"Hey, who?" Lin asked, head still safely tucked under the girl's chin.

"Hey, dummy", Azula let go a bit so she could look at him. "If you could have one thing that you really really want right now, what would it be?"

"Hmm, let's see", Lin pondered aloud. "Well, if you have secured the door, I guess that'd be your virginity. But, I'm sensing…" he chuckled, shielding his head from Azula's pillow blow. "…that's not what you meant, huh?" he caught the pillow and the Princess, holding her in his arms as he lay back down. "Well, let me think. Hmm… does it have to be a thing? Can it be, like, something that I want to happen?"

"Sure", Azula shifted, getting down on the bed and putting her head on Lin's chest; lying on the boy's right, held in his arms, her left arm was tucked between them while she bit her finger a little, and her other hand was on Lin's chest, tracing circles on his Gray Flame brand.

"Us, staying like this forever", Lin smiled. "No war, no work, no anything. Just you and me, in each other's arms. I would like it very much."

"Hmm… too romantic", Azula commented, smirking. "Something else."

"Alright. But, first of all, _ouch_", Lin pouted and Azula giggled. "Okay, something else. Um… I wanna have some serious skills in Conjuration Magic. I'd imagine being able to summon a horde of flame djins would be helpful in my line of job."

Azula snorted. "Djins are so overrated. Do you know that they are about this big…" she measured by putting her hands about a foot apart. "…and they are useless in battle. Sure, flame djins, being entirely made of fire, can be helpful, but they are more a distraction than an actual force. Besides, too dangerous for you. Something else."

"Okay. Uh, I got it! How bout this: I wanna be able to use magic without risking a rabid monkey-boar breaking into my room and mauling me to death", he snickered as Azula giggled.

"We've planned to take steps to counter that, remember? The spider-silk worm—"

"Spider-worm silk, you mean?"

"Spider-worm silk, yeah, that", Azula poked her sharp nail on Lin's chest a little before she rubbed the temporary crescent indentation on the skin gently. "I just need more blood to draw the magic circle. So, too redundant. Something else."

"Why are you asking all of a sudden?" Lin asked instead.

"Well, I'm a Princess", Azula shifted a little and suddenly realized how small she was in his arms. "I want to spoil you a bit, is all. It's allowed."

Lin smiled as she looked down at the girl, seeing nothing but the top of her head for she tried not to look up. Lin rose a bit and gently put Azula down and, getting on top of her, pushed her to her back slowly, kissing her lips all the while. "You can't give me what I truly want", he said softly, diving for another short session of kiss. "Because I already have what I want", and he kissed her again. "And, dear Agni in heaven… she's a great kisser."

Azula smiled as they kissed again.

"Someday, I'll introduce you to her", Lin teased. Azula's feigned an offense and pushed him hard. They laughed a little and kissed again. "Oh, hey—", Lin emerged a bit but Azula shushed him and pulled him down.

Lin pulled away again. "Are you sure—", Azula whined and linked her arm on his neck, pulling him down.

"The door—"

"Shh…"

"But—"

Azula pouted when Lin let go again; he sat up but Azula did not let go of her arms, getting dragged up as the result.

"Okay", Lin started patiently as he noticed Azula's upset expression. "First of all, _ow_…" he grimaced, clutching his bandaged torso.

"Are you okay?" Azula let go of her arm, trying to beat away the feeling of panic that was starting to creep up to the surface as she reached to the bandage.

"Kiss me…" Lin groaned and Azula complied, kissing him on the mouth, nipping his lower lip. "Okay", Lin heaved. "That's better", he said, plopping his back down on a pile of pillows Azula had quickly arranged. "Stay with me", Lin said, pulling the Princess into his embrace.

Azula squirmed for a more comfortable position, her head lying on top of Lin's chest. Her hand traced its way to the left side of his chest, feeling the heartbeat.

"Hey, I know", Lin perked up suddenly.

"Hmm?" Azula looked up a bit, enjoying having her head stroked.

"Curry noodle", Lin smiled. "When I got sick, my grandma always made me curry noodle. She'd use hard-boiled egg, cut it in two and put them side by side, then she'd cut lines on one side a sausage and fried them so it'd curve up, and she'd put it below the eggs."

"Smiley face", Azula snickered.

"Yeah", Lin beamed. "She'd cut up my favorite honey glazed pork-hen and arrange them on top to make the hair. It's really good", then his smile melted into a more somber form. "It's too bad you never get a chance to meet her. You'd like her", then he frowned. "Well, maybe not. But, I'm sure she'd like you", Lin grinned.

"Dummy", Azula rose up, smiling faintly. She crawled up and kissed Lin on the lips, crawling to the other side of the bed without breaking contact. "Sleep", she said, pecking his lips one last time before she got up and picked something from the floor. "Avi will stay with you", she said, putting the puppy on the bed.

Lin grunted and gripped his heart. "You're leaving me weak and defenseless with a mutt. So cold."

"Avi's not a mutt", Azula huffed, scooping the puppy into her arms and gave it a soft squeeze. "She's the cutest thing ever", she cooed, kissing the puppy's head.

"I'm jealous", Lin pouted. "Where's my kiss?"

Azula smirked impishly. "Avi, kiss", she commanded, putting the puppy down.

"No, no! No tongues! Ewww!" Lin squirmed as Avi licked tried to lick his face. Azula giggled and landed a quick one on Lin's forehead and left the room.

The sound of the door closing carried a sense of finality.

Lin felt cold all of a sudden.

_The shadow flew towards him, the sound of a female laughed shrilly…_

Lin put a hand over his eyes, his palm was sweaty and cold. He dragged his hand up, pushing his bang off; he left his forearm on his forehead and let out a calming breath; a small plume of yellow-tinted orange flame burst out for a fraction of second.

His mind replayed the battle from before, assessing every features and aspects related to it that might have contributed to his defeat. He was using a two-handed battle sword (one that he was used to, a plus) albeit bigger and longer, which added to his effectiveness, really; more power (another plus). He was also using his bending, combining it with his swordplay, a style he was quite proud of (another plus).

However, the air was chilly that time, putting a damper on his bending (a minus), also, in the end, his swordplay only slowed him down (minus). Lightning Generation was his saving grace and he could have utilized it sooner…

There was some terrible rackets downstairs, sounded like metals.

…had his hands not too preoccupied with his sword; his sword that slowed him down, limiting his options (a big minus). And the rain, a huge damper to his fire. Plus, the ground was grassy and it got moist and slippery from the rain, messing with his footing…

Somebody screamed, a male, one of the Royal Processions, in a very feminine pitch.

Lin sighed, realizing now how short-minded his action was. He should have prepared more, strategized his move. He was confronting the assassin as another assassin, in a duel. He was more used to the assassination strategies where timing is everything and the opponents were always never ready, where opportunity to strike was fleeting and measured by the seconds.

He sighed again. Avi barked once and Lin turned to it. Smiling, Lin reached to the puppy's fluffy head and scratched it. He repositioned himself for a more comfortable position and drifted to sleep.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Jee and Chit Sang drew a lot of curious eyes as they followed their Princess through the market; two men in Royal Procession regalia, minus the helmet, carrying bags of groceries, and cowering at the very presence of a young petite girl was not something the citizens of Shu Jing saw everyday.

Azula picked up a box of honeyed meat from the place she and Lin went to the other day and left just like that after the vendor finished packing her purchase, leaving the heavy-laden Jee and Chit Sang to pay, pick up the item, and wait for the change. The Fire Princess looked around as she walked, free hands clasped behind her back. As she rounded at the fork of the road ahead, heading for a place that, if she remembered correctly, sold medical supplies, a certain Fire Prince Ozai appeared from the corner south of her position.

Master Piandao had been helpful, not looking at him oddly for showing up out of the blue brandishing a saber, for starter, and pointing him to the direction of Dragon Pearl Manor; he even gave Ozai a scabbard for the saber. What a nice man.

The Fire Prince looked around, long hair whipping in a sudden but brief gust of wind. So close to the ocean, the town was colder than Ozai had anticipated this close to winter. Oh, how he worried about his baby girl, already imagining her somewhere curled up on the corner of the street, cold and hungry and alone, calling for her daddy.

His grip on the saber sheath tightened he could hear the wood cracking. The Fire Prince, still refusing to believe that he was lost, decided to turn to his left. Pretty much every female around the vicinity stared at him as he walked, with a longing smile and admiring gaze plastered on their faces; a tall muscular man in a resplendent robe was certainly not something they got to see everyday.

Overhead, a black mass of thing flew over the cloudy sky. Fire Prince Lu Ten, riding his tiger-hawk –a magnificent tigrine beast with a pair of large yellow feathered wings and the front legs of a falcon- soared through the sky and headed to the largest mansion on top of the hill. The tiger-hawk flew down and flapped its massive wings once to slowly descend to the front yard where numerous students of the Piandao's school were practicing. The younger ones screamed and scampered away from the growling beast. Lu Ten, with as spear held loosely in a peaceful position –tip pointing down and tugged under the arm- leaped down but a massive one-handed man assaulted him.

Lu Ten raised his spear in time to defend against the… _coolest_!... sword he had ever seen; a long battle jian with a serrated section near the hand guard. Shin, the one-armed swordsman did not quite understand the meaning behind this young intruder's gleeful smile directed at his sword. He withdrew his blade and delivered several powerful slash that the spearman defended against with ease.

"Stop!" Fat the Butler shouted from the mansion, bowing as Piandao walked past him.

The swordmaster paced through the yard where students bowed and stepped away, dispersing as he walked past. With a sword held sheathed behind his back, bearing no ill will, Piandao bowed politely at the spearman who had returned his spear to the former pacifistic position. "Prince Lu Ten", Piandao greeted. "Three royalties visiting this humble school of mine. What an honor", he said.

"The honor is mine, Master. My cousins spoke highly of you", Lu Ten bowed back, ignoring Shin who suddenly dropped down to a kowtow, followed by pretty much everyone. "I am here to see my cousin, Princess Azula. Wait, what do you mean _three_ royalties?"

"Fire Prince Ozai was here not a moment ago", Piandao explained. "And I will tell you what I've told him; Princess Azula is staying overnight at the Dragon Pearl Manor at the south side of the island", Piandao pointed at the tall highland area visible form the yard. "I suspect she was still there with Lin."

Lu Ten already mounted his steed and flew away. He did get the last part though. Lin… who is she?

Meh, probably a friend, Lu Ten thought optimistically.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Ty Lee was humming, lying on her front in her bed, reading a romance novel when a series of light knocks came from her door. The door creaked open and Ty Ren's head popped out. "Can I come in?"

Ty Lee's bright smile was the answer Ty Ren needed. The girl entered and staggered a bit as she and her other sisters often would whenever she entered Ty Lee's room; the wave of pink was too much sometimes. Red walls, yes, but almost entirely covered by bright pink rugs and curtains, dark carpet, true, but littered with pink fluffy cushions and throw pillows, and the bed… oh, the bed, different shades of pink made it look like a blob of strawberry cream.

Ty Ren gingerly sat at the bed, wearing a robe that was unlike Ty Lee's homey clothes of a halter top and shorts, mercifully of faded purple shade.

"Ty Lee", Ty Ren started carefully, as if she was about to break the news that Ty Lee's puppy had died or something. "How are you today?"

"Good. Why are you asking?" Ty Lee frowned.

"Nothing", Ty Ren evaded, smiling awkwardly. "Everything's fine."

Ty Lee's eyes narrowed and she sat up. "Your aura's going all weird. What's going on?"

"Nothing, Ty Lee", Ty Ren smiled weakly. "I'm just… well, you've been busy lately with the Blood Flame. I just thought that we should… you know, catch up."

"Oh", Ty Lee, always the gullible one, smiled back in earnest. "Well, I—"

Flapping of wings disrupted the conversation; a red messenger hawk flew through the open window and landed on the bed near them.

"Aw, it's so cute", Ty Lee cooed, raising her arm so the bird would perch on her forearm. "Look at it", she squealed, letting Ty Ren extracted the message while the bird perched on Ty Lee's arm.

"It's for you, I guess", Ty Ren drawled unsurely, eyes fixed on the royal looking seal on the roll of parchment. Ty Lee relocated the bird on Ty Ren's cringing arm, the latter was a more delicate kind of lady, and read the letter. She giggled suddenly, prompting Ty Ren to inquire. "What?"

"Nothing!" Ty Lee squealed happily, embracing Ty Ren so hard by the neck the older sister choke.

"Air… breathe… can't… Ty…"

"Sorry", Ty Lee giggled.

_Well, at least she's happy_, Ty Ren sighed, patting her little sister's head.

She knew for sure Ty Lin would approve.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Zuko walked up the steps that brought him to Piandao's gate. The students training in the front yard ignored him although some familiar faces threw him a smile. Zuko was swept by a wave of nostalgia as his gaze met the master's; Piandao stood at the front door of his mansion, supervising the training, smiling at him.

It had been quite awhile since Zuko and Azula were here; he remembered when Azula hung his underwear on the flagpole over there, when Azula smeared buzzard-wasp honey on his pants, causing Shin's komodo-rhino, that was currently sleeping in the stable over there, to chase him around the school, and he remembered when Azula was homesick and was too proud to admit it, and she snuck out of her room at night and sat under the tree over there, crying alone in the night.

Sometimes, more often than not, Zuko hated this Big Brother Zuzu side of his.

"Master", Zuko bowed politely at the master as he arrived before him.

"Zuko", Master Piandao bowed back. "Azula?"

"Yes."

"Dragon Pearl Manor."

"Where?"

"South."

"Thank you."

With that, Zuko bowed again and turned around, walking back out.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Lu Ten grumbled loudly as he walked through the market. It was impossible, he cursed mentally. He had spent two full hours circling the island from the sky and he could not see anything but woods and more woods. He had doubled back to Master Piandao's and kept his tiger-hawk there before he resumed his search on foot, only to get lost in the market area.

People were staring at him, girls were giggling and boys looked at him with awe. A young twenty year old man (physically) on the prime of his youth, in a royal garb of maroon an gold, and carrying a magnificent spear with an unusual silver white tassel; certainly not someone who walked around the streets of Shu Jing very often.

Lu Ten sighed and shivered a little as a soft breeze of Shu Jing flew past, carrying with it the smell of ocean and pine, and some scrumptious looking meat from the stand ahead of him across the street. Rubbing his rumbling stomach, Lu Ten walked ahead, passing the oil and candle store where, ten seconds later, Azula and the two Royal Processions emerged from; Azula looked as carefree as ever while the two looked rather green, having boxes of scented candles on top of their piles, right under their noses.

Azula turned to the two a little, making sure they were still standing. She then rounded up to the direction where Lu Ten had come from and walked back to the forest path that would take them to the manor.

Lu Ten, almost drooling at his snack of honeyed strips of grilled meat, smiled brightly as the vendor gave him the purchase. He turned around and moved to the middle of the street, biting into his meat. He looked around and decided to go… left.

The Fire Prince turned to his left and marched away, holding the shaft of his spear and the box of meat in one hand and picked on his snack with his other hand. He walked past the store of a wealthy spice merchant who happened to be one of Ozai's acquaintances. Ozai walked out of the store, talking with the potbellied proprietor. The man pointed as the direction Lu Ten went to, clearly giving direction; his small hazel eyes stole glances at Ozai's saber every now and then, clearly suppressing fear. Aside from the ever-present sense of self-preservation that the Fire Prince's very presence inspired, the old man was also wondering what in the name of Agni was Ozai doing with a saber.

Fire Prince Ozai's prowess in firebending was legendary. It was said that even Azulon and Iroh took second place to him; it was another arrow in the quiver of those who still held his absence from the defense against Kyoshi against him. Such great power and he was not even there to use it to defend his liege and his home. Ozai mastered the Royal Family firebending in quite a young age and had mastered or defeated several other firebending styles over the centuries. His prowess over the Lightning Generation was to such a great extent it was said that his lightning bore the white color of ice, being so pure and coldblooded. Also, it was rumored that Ozai was responsible for the development of the well-defined regimen of firebending training for the Royal Procession.

However, someone with a soul of a warrior like him could only stand learning only one discipline for so long. Ozai was also an accomplished swordsman, mastering both the fencing jian and the saber, and he had also dabbled in spear, halberd, archery, and the exotic meteor hammer. And yet people always thought that he knew nothing but firebending.

Foolish people, he haughtily surmised in his mind as he walked down the street, sharp amber eyes swept the surrounding slowly, going across a group of giggling females. He swore, the next person who mentioned the Kyoshi attack would get an Agni Kai.

So deep was he in his mental fury that may or may not have something to do with his denial that he was worried for Azula, when he rounded that corner ahead, he rammed into a spear-carrying youth and they both staggered back.

"U-uncle…?" Lu Ten stammered, his eyes fell upon a strip of meat that got lodged in uncle's hair; Lu Ten quickly threw his snack covertly behind his back.

Ozai narrowed his eyes sharply as he straightened up.

"Lu Ten? Dad?" Zuko appeared from the tavern at the corner where the collision happened. "What are you two doing here?"

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula opening the door of his room woke Lin up. Avi, from the looks of things, were apparently also napping and it woke up too. The puppy promptly perked up, padding to the edge of the bed and, after a few moment of hesitation, jumped down and ran up to its mistress, jumping up and down to gain her attention. Azula, peering over the tray she was carrying, awarded the puppy with an amused smile and it settled down, sitting and looking up with wagging tail and tongue.

Azula put the tray on the nightstand as Lin sat up. Smiling smugly and proudly, she picked up the large bowl with both hands and presented it to Lin. It was curry noodle with sliced hard-boiled egg and curled fried sausage arranged to form a smiley face, and cut up honeyed meat aligned on top of it to make the hair. Azula added a goatee too. It looked like Ozai.

"Wow", Lin smirked. "You made this?"

"No", Azula denied, pouting. "I bought this."

What a bad lie, Lin thought. With the noise from the kitchen and… "Yeah?" he leaned closer to Azula and sniffed her hair, smelling thick spicy fragrant of curry.

"That's from carrying it up here", Azula said quickly.

"Of course", Lin cooed. Azula narrowed her eyes sharply at him.

"Come on, eat", she said, putting the bowl in Lin's hand and picked up the napkin and the chopsticks from the tray. She offered Lin the chopsticks but Lin simply stared at him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I should be the one asking that", Lin lowered the bowl to his lap, still holding it. "Azula, what's wrong?" he asked softly.

Azula smiled and frowned. "What do you mean? You're the one who almost got killed."

Lin kept staring.

Azula started to chew her lips and her shoulders slumped. "You almost got killed", she said, lowering her gaze to the chopsticks she gripped tightly in her hand. "I shouldn't have come."

They were silent for a second or two.

"I'm still glad you flew across the ocean for me", Lin shrugged, Azula chuckled.

"Dummy", she faked a pout, stabbing the chopsticks into the noodle. "Eat."

"And I'm glad you made this for me", Lin teased, slinging one arm over Azula's shoulder and pulled her closer, pecking the top of her head. Azula held the bowl up for him and he picked up some noodle; it sure smelt great. Azula looked up and followed the noodle up to his mouth, staring at him hopefully.

It tasted… well, like something a Princess would make.

A Fire Princess like Azula was born in a world of wealth and riches, and servants. She had nannies, maidservants, manservants, and many more kinds of servants catering to her needs all her life. Naturally, Azula never learnt to cook. Still, Lin gave points on presentation; the curry noodle sure looked and smelt good.

The taste, however…

Well, it was unique, for sure. Lin could not find the right word to describe it. The category of the taste though, was easier to pinpoint: bad.

"Mmm…" Lin managed.

"Don't 'mmm…' me. You stop chewing", Azula sat up and sulked. "And I went through all the trouble to cook it for you. I even restock your kitchen."

"Aha! You did make this", Lin smirked triumphantly.

Azula's mouth fluttered as if she was trying to say something and failed, and settled with a pout and a. "Dummy."

-B-L-O-O-D-

They never meant for this to happen.

Ozai, with his awesomeness, would never want to be caught dead with these two boys in a tavern. It was so beneath him.

Lu Ten, a nurturing big cousin, had actually been trying to get Zuko into a tavern just to hang out. But, although Lu Ten was a very amiable person, his Uncle Ozai made him nervous.

Zuko was just not good with people.

Yet, there they were.

They had been walking through the market, kept getting lost because they did not have the sense to make Zuko, the only person who had actually spent an extended time there, lead the way; Ozai was just too stubborn to admit that he needed his son's help and Lu Ten was so focused on his baby cousin he would not listen. They wandered around the actually quite small town and Lu Ten ended up whining about being hungry. Ozai had blatantly dismissed the idea that they should take a break and get something to eat, but then his stomach growled so very loudly.

There they were now, eating lunch and drinking something the local called tianqiu.

"_To warm the belly_", the waiter had said.

The three royals had looked at each other, each wanted something to ward off the cold so bad but neither wanted to show weakness; Shu Jing was a small island where the wind carried the ocean with it during autumn and mainlanders like the three royals who were more used to warm weather could never get used to it.

"_That sounds interesting",_ Ozai had said. _"Perhaps Zuko will be interested."_

Zuko had scowled.

"_Yeah, interesting",_ Lu Ten drawled, gulping. _"But, you know, Uncle, if you want some of those, I don't see why you shouldn't."_

"_No, I don't need it",_ Ozai denied quickly.

"_I don't need it too",_ Zuko grumbled.

"_No, no, Uncle",_ Lu Ten raised his hands a little. _"Please, have one yourself. I notice how cold weather often gets you down."_

"_You need it more than I",_ Ozai argued. _"If you get sick, I will never hear the end of it from your father."_

"_I don't need it",_ Zuko grumbled again.

"_So… three tianqiu?"_ the waiter asked unsurely.

"_Yes",_ the three royals said.

Their drinks arrived finally, accompanied by a bowl of salted peanut. Cloudy white drink with specks of red fire salt and a floating cut betel leaf. The three royals looked at each other and then down to the drink.

"Well", Ozai, the eldest, cleared his throat uncomfortably, feeling goose bumps starting to form on his arms despite his warm multi-layered robe. "I suppose this will be a new experience. It's good…"

"Yeah, agree", Lu Ten added quickly, scratching his neck uncomfortably. "Experience life, new stuff."

Zuko simply grunted.

They exchanged glances again and reached for their glasses at the same time.

"To the Fire Lord", Ozai proposed a toast. They clinked their glasses and drank at the same time.

"Mmm… sweet", Lu Ten commented and then he coughed a little. "And spicy", he added with a strained voice.

What they did not realize, of course, was that tianqiu was made of fermented sugarcane juice.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Azula—" Lin stopped when a painful hiccup emerged. "Azula… stop this madness…"

"No", Azula grumbled, coming back inside with yet another bowl of noodle.

"But, you almost got it right that last time."

"Almost isn't good enough!"

She plopped down on the bed and shoved the bowl into Lin's hands.

"Azula, this is the fifth bowl", Lin whined.

"Oh, man up! I thought boys eat a lot", Azula huffed, refusing to take the bowl back.

"You do realize that this bowl is big enough for you to wear as a hat, right?" Lin said dryly.

Azula pointedly ignored him as she let loose her tussled up top knot and ruffled her raven hair , sending a waft of her shampoo and scented hair oil, mixed with the smell of curry from her cooking. She retied her hair into a simpler ponytail and glanced at Lin who still refused to eat. She delivered the boy her potent puppy-dog eyes but Lin did not cave. So, Azula used her last resort. Her lower lip quivered and she placed her hands over her eyes, sobbing loudly.

The door creaked open ominously and Chit Sang and Jee's glare appeared through the slit on top of each other, directed at Lin; Chit Sang's face transformed into the fanged form and Jee snarled as he made a gesture of cutting his neck with his finger.

Lin gulped. "Okay, okay", he grumbled, spearing his egg with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth.

"Leave", Azula ordered the two Royal Processions without turning. The door was closed and Azula inched closer, resting her smug self in Lin's arms.

"You're so mean to me", Lin said, feeding the other half of the egg to the Princess.

"Oh, of course. I cooked for you and I'm mean", she huffed as she ate. "There's just no pleasing you sometimes."

"I don't know", Lin sighed, pecking the girl's head. "It's like your superpower or something, like a Gift."

Azula tensed up ever so slightly; Lin did not notice.

"You're mean, even when you're being nice", Lin braved another piece of meat, thanking Agni that she at least bought the meat.

"Hmm, yeah", Azula said quietly. "I'm just worried about you."

They spent the next few seconds in each other's arms, Lin had stopped eating.

"She called me a rarity", he said finally; Azula sensed the fury in his tone. "A Gifted human. A rarity."

Azula tentatively looked up.

Lin snorted bitterly and ate a few mouthfuls of noodle.

"Well", Azula cleared her throat. "Vampirism is often considered a way to…"…_treat_…? "…contain the Gift."

No, not 'treat'. _It's not a disease_, Azula thought firmly.

"If you'd like…"

"No, not now", Lin muttered, feeling his inner fire flaring. "More than ever, now I have to stay human."

"You have nothing to prove", Azula said softly, grasping Lin's hand. "Least of all to me."

Lin looked up his brows arched a little at the look in Azula's face; there was a certain strange kindness, strange but real kindness that had drawn him and would still draw him to her every single time. It made this forbidden relationship between them worth the risk.

"Yeah, I know", Lin smiled. "I love you."

Azula smiled a little. "Yeah. I…"…_love you_… "…do, too."

"Aw…" Lin teased, pulling the girl back into his embrace. "That's the nicest thing you've never said to me."


	14. Chapter 14 - Wary

**Chapter 14 – Wary**

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Fire Lord Sozin broke his meditation when the sound of the door reached his ears. Alone he sat in the Dark Room, the room that bore the candles of the Whispered. The ancient Fire Lord rose slowly and joined his Fire Lady who had just entered with a tray of tea and cookies.

"We lost another one", Azulon said as soon as he sat down, looking as old as he should be.

"Who?" Illah asked, halting her pouring the Fire Lord's tea.

"Li Cha", Azulon looked grim.

"Li Cha?" Illah gawked slightly. "Li Cha, the shapeshifter?"

"Yes, her", Azulon concurred. Li Cha, the shapeshifter, one of the oldest and the most powerful Whispered Sisters the Brotherhood had ever known.

"This does not bode well", Illah cast a dark glance at the row of candles, many were now unlit. "One hundred and eight; as it has always been and always will be."

"Perhaps, an initiation will be a proper course of action", Azulon mulled.

"It's true that we have no shortage of Gifted individuals among the Brotherhood", Illah concurred. "But, will it be wise? Especially, now—"

Azulon's cold hard stare silenced her.

"I stand by your decision, Fire Lord", Illah conceded. "Whatever it is."

Azulon sipped his ginseng tea calmly.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Lin rolled his shoulder as he walked towards the vast cliff side backyard of the Manor, clean grassy patch expanding a little more than a full acre. According to his grandmother, the space was used for firebending training in the past, located rather far away from the Manor and in an open space.

Azula was already there, standing near the ledge, basking in the morning sunlight, holding Azure behind her back in her clasped hands. She was wearing her usual training garb and ponytail, and turned slightly when Lin approached.

"Are you sure you want to do this now?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm feeling better", Lin said, taking a deep breath of fresh morning air. He lifted his sword Frost a bit and gripped tightly. "That assassin is fast. My only chance is to match her in speed. I need this."

Azula took a moment to scrutinize Lin's face, her own remained impassive. She turned around a step, pulling Azure free as she spun. She dropped the sheath to the ground and Avi ran up out of nowhere and sat by it, as if guarding it. Lin followed her gesture and walked alongside the Princess to the middle of the ground.

"You are accustomed to battle jian, the one with thicker and stiff blade", Azula began, patting the flat of Azure's blade on her other palm. "Fencing jian, however, is supple and thin", Azula bent the blade slightly to prove her point. "It is elegant and fast", she waved the sword around with a flourish. "Like a blade of leaf dancing in the wind."

She performed some slashing and stabbing moves in slower pace.

"I noticed the way you used your sword yesterday", Azula said. "You _hacked _at your opponent with your fencing jian, a most ineffective move."

Lin frowned as he glanced at Frost.

"Battle jian is pretty straightforward; you cut and slash your opponents to pieces", Azula summarized. "Fencing jian is not about cutting; it's about _slicing_. This part…" she traced her fingers on the surface of the blade, around the quarter of the middle up to the tip. "…is thin and sharp. You use it for offense. The lower part, especially the part near the hand guard, is thicker and you use it for defense. And then, there's the technique", she began dancing with her sword, pacing herself slow enough so she could speak. "Anyone with sufficient upper body strength can use a battle jian."

She spun gracefully, bringing her sword down in a vertical slash and flicked her wrist and performed a quick sneaky thrust. "But a fencing jian is about elegance of the technique. You will need to learn the forms and rehearse them repeatedly."

Lin groaned a bit.

"Don't be lazy", Azula admonished, smirking. "Fencing is all about the form, the technique. A fencing jian is a weapon of nobility."

Lin raised his hand timidly.

"Question?" Azula narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah", Lin scratched his head. "I'm sorry but, I simply can't see how a sword this thin can be effective. I mean, like you said, battle jian is straightforward; you loop somebody's head off and that's it, he'd dead. I can see how this sword…" he dangled Frost by the pommel. "…be useful in an urban fight but, what if you have to fight someone who's wearing armor?"

Azula titled her head a little, frowning. Then, she straightened up and turned to her left, pointing her palm there. She chanted several words of magic and, from the ground, emerged a blob of mud at first, sprouting up from the grassy ground like spring, and it formed into a figure of humanoid. Two empty craters opened up where the eyes should be and two tiny flames of sapphire blue lit up there.

Azula tapped her chin, inspecting her work. Satisfied, she cleared her throat, drew a deep deep breath, and screamed at the top of her lungs. "CHIIITTT SAAAANNGG!"

Chit Sang, and Jee along with him, suddenly appeared from the Manor, holding a piece of bread in one hand and some breadcrumbs stuck in his wispy moustache; Jee had a soup stain on his armor.

"That was fast", Azula commented under her breath as the two arrived, saluted the Princess –after Chit Sang threw his bread away-, and turned to Lin, growling as they raised their claws like platypus-bears would, ready to attack and completely misunderstanding the situation.

"Stop", Azula commanded lazily, back to scrutinizing her golem. She made a frame with her thumbs and index fingers and closed one eye as she peered through the square. "Hmm… let's see", she muttered, aiming her gaze to Chit Sang and Jee. "Jee, take off your armor."

"Um… Princess?" Jee drawled, completely lost.

"You heard me", Azula said, narrowing her eyes sharply at the Royal Procession. "Take off your armor and put it on that golem."

Jee and Chit Sang exchanged a puzzled look; Chit Sang shrugged.

Reluctantly. Jee stripped off his armor and, helped by Chit Sang, put the breastplate, shoulder plate, pauldrons, and tasset on the mud creature, wincing every time he heard the sickening squishing on the metal-plated leather pressing down the still wet mud.

"Gloves and boots, too", Azula commanded. Jee threw Chit Sang a pleading look but the larger man only shrugged.

As they were done, the two Royal Processions stood to the side; Jee sobbed onto Chit Sang's shoulder, unable to watch his uniform being violated so much. Azula did not care and whispered a specific word Lin caught as. "_Krpana_", and a blob of mud elongated from the golem's right fist and formed into a sword.

"Alright", Azula said, stating ever so calmly, and smirking. "Pay attention."

The golem advanced and slashed at her; Azula, not taking her eyes off of Lin's, did a simple sidestep and stabbed the creature under the arm. The golem slashed horizontally at Azula and the Princess ducked, slashing at the creature's exposed knee, leaving a gash on the surface. The creature slashed again and Azula leaped away this time. Azula went on the offensive; a simple slash the creature parried. Azula flicked her wrists and manipulated the tip of her blade, slicing along the golem's wrist, carving away small chunks of mud.

Azula released a torrent of slashes and stabs, scoring numerous little hits on the exposed part of the armor and the nooks and crannies in it. She drew away after slicing the golem's neck; the golem froze and stopped attacking.

"Got that?" Azula asked; Lin, watching intently, nodded. "Small cuts aimed at the tendons and arteries. Your opponents will not suffer something as boorish as a gash but the result is the same. And, if that is not enough…" she flicked her wrist and aimed her sword at the golem; the golem moved again and jumped for a double-handed vertical slash. Azula gracefully spun to the side and moved her sword down tip first through the back of the golem's exposed neck, driving Azure halfway through the mud. "…something like this is always an option."

Azula pulled her sword out and the golem crumbled into a pile of dried mud. Jee squeaked as he buried his face on Chit Sang's shoulder, his soul was hurting much, while Chit Sang stuffed his massive hand on his mouth so he would not laugh out loud; Azula threw her sword at the latter and ordered. "Clean my sword", turning Chit Sang's grin upside down.

"Form and technique", Azula said to Lin, clasping her hands behind her back. "Speed is a must and accuracy is also a factor. You must learn to react, because it's all about reaction. Have you ever heard someone says that fighting is about acting and never reacting?"

"Yeah", Lin nodded.

"Well, whoever said that is an idiot", Azula shrugged. "Fighting is all about reaction: defense is a reaction to opponent's attack and offense is a reaction to his openings. You must keep this in mind. You must think fast and react quickly, never stop thinking. Oh, and the movement", Azula began to sway on the spot. "I noticed this from when we spar. You're very straightforward; you gave everything you got in a step. Don't do that, it'll make you rigid and easy to read. Fencing is a dance", Azula smiled and Lin noticed the spark of enthusiasm in her bright amber eyes. "We flow and our footing is light. Almost like airbending in that regard. Hmm… funny. Considering airbenders don't use bladed weapons", she shook her head, snapping herself out of the thought. "Anyway, don't worry about that. That's where the forms kick in. Master the form; the footing is embedded in the forms.

She straightened up, snapping her fingers twice; Chit Sang arrived with Azure, held reverently with both hands by the blade. Azula took it and assumed her first stance. "Now, let's start with the basic."

-B-L-O-O-D-

The cell creaked open and Tyro winced at the bright sunlight. Haru walked in and jumped into a hug. "I'm glad you didn't turn, Dad", the boy said sincerely as he let go.

"So am I", Tyro chuckled, getting out. At his right and left, similar scene unfolded. He, like those people, had been injured and came into a close proximity to the werewolf they had subdued, close enough for the werewolf's blood to enter their wounds. Luckily, either the afflicted werewolf was one of the non-contagious one or, by some stroke of luck, none of them had the werewolf's blood entering their bloodstream.

"Toph's been up all night. She worries about you but she's acting tough as usual", Haru chuckled; Tyro nudged his shoulder but hid an amused smirk. Congratulating his fellow wounded on his way out, Tyro walked across the hallway of the Tianshui's dungeon to the exit where the small blind girl in her black metal armor stood, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed, blowing her bangs as Tyro walked past by.

Tyro patted her head and Toph stomped the ground as Tyro moved forward, causing a small chunk of the tile to shoot up to Tyro's butt. The elder earthbender rubbed his sore buttock and frowned at the scowling girl disapprovingly.

Toph let a small smile slip as she ran after Tyro.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Ozai, Lu Ten, and Zuko walked down the street with a healthy three or so feet between them, each suffering varying degrees of hangover.

"If your mom ask, you fell down and hit your head or something", Ozai growled at Zuko.

Zuko grunted, grabbing his head. "Urgh… we should've never—", Ozai and Lu ten promptly made some scathing hissing noise, silencing the youngest Prince.

"Zuko! We've sworn on Azula's firstborn son that we'll _never_ talk about last night for as long as we live!" Lu Ten barked tersely, his face turned into the fanged form for a fraction of second. Groaning, he shook his head slightly, gripping his hurting head. "Man, I'm a mess."

"I loathe this place", Ozai declared, glaring at the group of giggling housewives who openly started at him.

The three Fire Princes let out a uniform groan and resumed their walk in silence, each hating themselves for what happened when they were drunk last night.

Years later, Azula and Ursa would find out and, while Azula would laugh so hard she fell off her chair, Ursa had been mortified and let Ozai hang up dry for months. It would be the first time in their long marriage that Ozai considered using the services of the Royal Concubines.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula and Lin clashed their sword slowly, moving to the side in a circle as they paced. Lin flicked his wrist as he concluded the slash, pointing the tip of his sword at Azula and stepped forward as he stabbed; Azula spun and slashed as she went, but Lin evaded it.

"Very good. You're a natural", Azula commended. She spun her sword with a flourish and set it behind her back, a sign of respectful nonaggression. "Let's take a break. It's lunchtime already. After lunch, I'll teach you the next form of the Red Lotus style."

Lin smiled and bowed. "Thank you, Sifu Azula."

"Hmm, Sifu Azula", Azula through aloud as Lin embraced her by the waist, walking to the red picnic quilt where their scabbards, the napping Avi, and a light lunch had been prepared by Jee and Chit Sang. "It does have a nice ring to it."

Azula, in a fit of compassion, poured their tea. She pushed Avi, who had woken up and climbed up to her lap, away and threw a bun for it to eat somewhere away, and spent a full minute watching Lin eat his meat bun.

"What?" Lin asked, mouth full of bun.

"Nothing", Azula replied, peeling her eyes away. She turned to the hill and the roaring ocean ahead, and took a bite of her bun. She felt Lin grazing her cheek with a finger and turned to him.

"I'm fine", he said with that smile… that stupid soft smile that could always melt her inside out.

"I wasn't worried", Azula huffed, evading her gaze.

Impishly, Lin scooted closer and bumping her shoulder with his. Azula ignored him at first but bumped back at the fifth one; Lin dodged and caught her in his arms. They ended up wrestling each other on the ground, giggling.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Are we there yet?" Lu Ten groaned, dragging his feet and his spear.

"No, stop asking", Ozai grumbled through his gritted teeth. The sunlight was beating down on them and the sky just had to be clear that day. The light was too bright in his eyes and may Agni curse the inventor of tian…whatever that drink was.

"Uncle, are we lost?" Lu Ten asked again, whining. "We've been walking in this forest for ours. And I distinctly remember that tree; didn't you take a whizz there?"

Ozai's head whipped to the younger Prince, growling and snarling in his fanged face. "I _never_!"

"Really? Oh… right, that was Zuko. Oh, hey, speaking of Zuko, where is he?"

Suddenly, they realized that Zuko was no longer walking with them.

About a mile behind, Fire Prince Zuko had collapsed, no longer care if he live or die.

-B-L-O-O-D-

"There's something that I don't understand", Azula pondered aloud as she went through the form with Azure in a slightly fast pace; Lin followed her movement closely. "Why attack us in the middle of the crowd?"

"Perhaps she was trying to catch us unaware", Lin replied, copying Azula's elegant arm and full body spin, a most uncomfortable and unnatural thing it would be had it not been for his firebending that utilized many similar spins and twirls. His old sword style was raw and practical, favoring result over flourish, unlike the fencing style.

"Then, why attack you?" Azula argued again, drawing her blade close to her cheek, keeping a delicate looking finger form of index and middle fingers at the back of her sword holding hand, keeping a high closed stance; fencing style is really like a dance.

"She missed?" Lin shrugged, earning himself a little glare from Azula.

"You were far away from me", Azula said dryly. "If she had missed, she should have got Jee or Chit Sang."

"Maybe she's trying to throw us off", Lin guessed again, performing the thrust and slice.

"What purpose would it serve?" Azula countered, drawing the sword close while taking a back step forward, crossing her left leg forward behind her pivoting right one, a rather difficult stance.

"Do you think she was testing us?" Lin asked, spinning and stabbing forward the same time he pushed his left foot backward, standing with his body almost horizontal on his right leg, wavering unlike Azula and her amazing balance.

"Could be", Azula spun elegantly backward, slipping her sword behind her back into a peaceful position. "Very good", she commented, easing up; Lin followed her example. "You have mastered the first of the Red Lotus Style: Rotted Lotus. And it's only been a few hours."

"What's next?" Lin grinned.

"Bath", Azula's shoulders slumped and she looked tired. "This is supposed to be my vacation."

"Aw, come on", Lin smirked, drawing her closer by the waist, pecking her lips. "So a crazy assassin is after our blood—"

"'_Our…'_?" Azula smirked a bit.

"—At least we're still together. And we have Autumn Light Festival, I hope", Lin frowned, pondering. "I'm pretty sure the Fire Lord will allow me to attend. After all, I'm still a nobleman. If I don't show up, it'll be suspicious."

"Let's hope so", Azula sighed, stretching, arching her back; Lin took the opportunity to nip her neck. "Stop iiitt!" she whined and giggled, shoving Lin away and ran away, laughing.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Lu Ten and Ozai had been walking in silence for last half an hour. Lu Ten was sure they should not have turned right in the last intersection but his Uncle Ozai was every bit as stubborn as Azula and hardheaded as Zuko. Plus, the man was scary as hell. Lu Ten furtively stole glances at the man, noticing the bulge of his hardened jaw and the stone-cold of his gaze.

"Uncle", Lu Ten gulped. "You look tired. Perhaps I should—"

Ozai's glare silenced the younger Prince almost immediately; Lu Ten quickly turned his eyes ahead and walked ahead a couple of steps.

Held in a piggyback on his father, Prince Zuko slowly opened his eyes as he came to. His dim amber eyes closed again slowly but it was a sleep, a slumber, not an out-cold knock out, that greeted him this time. His father's hair that smelt like burnt leaves and musk felt so familiar and it easily lulled her to sleep.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Azula sighed as she relaxed in the bathtub, scooping water with her hands and pouring them over her face. It was nice bathroom, she had to admit, wide and spacious, tiled with dark maroon and had its windows curtained with blood-red heavy brocade. The bathtub was red marble and had the width of a small pool, semi-circle on the side facing the window, and fixed into the floor like a real pool. She rubbed her arms and thought of the assassin. It was strange indeed that the assassin would attack the way she did. Was she testing them? And who was the target?

For all she knew, it could be Lin…

Azula crossed her arms out of habit and released them as it felt awkward, naked as she was. How she wished Lin would walk in and… fool around with her. She needed to talk to him about this anyway. But, with Jee and Chit Sang guarding outside her door, it would be impossible.

Lin was a Whispered and he knew how they work better than anyone. According to him, the Whispered were given relative freedom in how they performed their duties. Usually, they would be given a target. Just a name. Information came from numerous Fire Nation undercover spies embedded among the citizens of the other Nations or they would have to discover all they could on their own. Sometimes, they would be given a time limit or some specification on how the execution should be; Lin's most memorable target was staging a feral vampire attack on a noblewoman's book club. Lin had to run around with a cut hand, drawing vampires from a slum across the town into the house. It was messy.

And it just did not make sense. She was a Princess, for crying out loud. Why would Fire Lord Azulon want her dead?

Azula sighed deeply as she submerged down to her nose, breathing burst of bubbles. It made no sense at all. Inquiring about it to the Fire Lord was a complete suicide; if the Fire Lord truly did send the Whispered, he might just kill her himself and if he did not, he might take it as Azula questioning his grip on the Brotherhood and it would be considered rude.

The last time someone questioned the Fire Lord's ability to rule anything, the servants had to scrape off the remains of the Agni Kai arena floor.

Frontal approach would be unwise, thought Azula. She would need to investigate this further. First, she needed someone who she could trust to help her. Naturally, being daddy's little girl and all, her thought flew to her father.

She saw some problem with that too. Her father was desperate to gain his way back to the Fire Lord's good graces and was adamant at denying it. This issue would not be taken well.

The second person that came to mind was her cousin. True, Lu Ten loved her the most in the whole wide world and she was more a sister to him than she was to Zuko. Also, Lu Ten was the heir apparent, the Fire Lord's current right-hand man in the arena of politics and the court. Lu Ten would have access to information that might shed some light onto this mishap (Agni, Azula hoped it was a mishap). But, her mind screeched to stop, Lu Ten was the Fire Lord's right-hand man. What if he already knew of this…? Sure, he would not agree to it and would do anything to prevent it from happening. And yet, it _happened_. Azula suddenly pictured Lu Ten all chained up in the dungeon.

Lu Ten would be a Plan B, Azula decided.

Then, there was her Uncle Iroh. They did not speak of it but the Royal Family and few of the closest confidants of the Crown knew of the old codger's contacts in the shadowy world and his vast contacts he had spanned all over the Four Nations. He would be a most useful ally. Now, if only Azula could make him _want_ to help her; old age and his hedonistic way had turned her uncle into a sloth.

Then, who else? Her grandmother, the Fire Lady? Unlikely. Her mother, Ursa? A common lady of the court; useless.

Zuko…?

Azula shot up suddenly.

_Zuko_!

Quickly, the Princess got up and stepped out of the red marble bathtub. Zuko, of course!

She dried herself quickly with a towel and dried her hair hastily with the towel and firebending. Azula put on a red bathrobe and burst out of the room, shocking Chit Sang and Jee. The two Fire Processions exchanged glances, Chit Sang shrugged, before they followed the Princess' stampede into her room, only to have the door slammed in their faces. The door opened briefly and a rather irate and drenched Azula shot them a nasty glare.

"Privacy, please", she snarled. "I'm not a kid anymore, you know."

The two men promptly blushed and stammered but Azula slammed the door in their faces again. Muttering something incomprehensive, the Princess quickly strode across her room to her study under the window. She had not thought much of the lack of reply but now she feared the worst. She frantically searched the pile of paper on her desk but they were none other than the notes that Lin's grandmother had taken at some point and slipped in the books; Azula found them educating.

No reply from Zuko, not that she was actually expecting one.

Quickly, she poured some ink powder into the dried up saucer, spilling some on the table as her hand shook a bit, and poured some water in it. She stirred it with the small blocky stirrer, and dipped her penbrush in it. She wrote a quick letter to Mai with the express instruction to reply. Just to be safe, she wrote one for Zuko as well, telling him to come and fetch her in Shu Jing. Who knows, if Zuko really got taken down and the letter fell to the hands of those who had done him in, Azula could lure them to her and then she could (…_avenge_…) capture them and interrogate them for information.

She rolled both letter hastily and got out, ignoring Jee and Chit Sang who followed her closely at her heel. Lin was in the living room of the North Wing they were in, slouching on the couch, reading a book and eating grapes that literally flew to his mouth on their own. The ghosts, Azula surmised.

"Hawks", she demanded urgently, unknowingly let some panic seep into the even calm tone of hers.

…_she already imagined Zuko dead, bloody and broken on the ground…_

"South Wing, across the courtyard, second floor", Lin sat up, frowning. "What's wrong?"

Azula cleared her throat and successfully assumed her regular calm and collected demeanor; a bit too late for that. "Nothing in particular", she said, forcing a smile. Her stride to the falconry, however, was contradictory to her statement. Lin turned his frown at the two Royal Processions, Chit Sang shrugged, and Lin got up, following the two after the Princess.

Azula ascended one of the circling stairways at the sides doorway of the South Wing and ran up two steps at a time. She arrived on top and looked around; at the right and left were what looked like rooms for the caretakers of the birds and the office of the scribes. Ahead was a perch where several red-feathered birds were kept. Azula let go of all pretenses and ran towards them.

She quickly picked a random bird and let it loose with the letter for Mai. She tried to regulate her breath, her heavy chest-constricting breath, and took her time choosing the bird for the second letter. She picked the leanest tallest bird that stood with its chest puffed up.

All that effort, that ten seconds effort, was wasted on account of the bird flying about twenty, thirty feet away and dived down and going kamikaze on Fire Lord Ozai's forehead at the front of gate.

-B-L-O-O-D-

Ty Lin was extremely disturbed by Ty Ren's story of the attack by the Whispered Brother. Hearing the description of the attack, she came to the same conclusion as Ty Ren and Zato secretly had: the assassin was after Fire Prince Zuko.

"It's disturbing", Ty Lin sighed, sinking deep into the couch, glancing sideways to the sunlight raining down from the window of Ty Ren's room.

"Lin", Ty Ren scooted closer, tugging on the wide sleeve of her right arm as the hand moved to caress the cheek of her younger sister's. "Do you know anything about this?"

"No", Ty Lin smiled sadly, pressing her own hand on Ty Ren's. "We're not really supposed to know about each other's mission. Actually, we're not supposed to know each other at all. But, after awhile, you get to know some of them."

Ty Lin reached to the table and picked up a piece of redberry cake Ty Ren had bought. "What do you say this one's Gift again?"

"Looks like invulnerability but I saw blood on Zato's sword", Ty Ren recalled, tapping her chin and face scrunching up as she raked her memory. "Prince Zuko punched him hard, probably hard enough to snap his neck but he was fine."

-B-L-O-O-D-

"Could be unbreakable bones", Azula guessed, crossing her legs quaintly as she sat at the foot of her bed, dressed in her usual garb and top-knot; Zuko was at her desk, basking in the sunlight, looking paler than usual. "And maybe resistance to pain. I wonder which one is the Gift. It could be both."

Zuko crossed his arms and grumbled. The Young Master had invited them in and provided them rooms and hot bath. Zuko had finished up quickly despite his hurting head and waning mind, he had quickly scoured the place to find Azula; fortunately for him, Azula was also looking for him. It was not as surprising to them as they exchanged news that the other had also been attacked by a Whispered. "How did you know how to fight off someone who can turn herself into shadow anyhow?" Zuko asked, looking grumpy due to the fact that Azula had emerged unscathed and had done a lot better than him.

Azula shrugged. "Fire, Water; Shadow, Light", she said. "Simple logic."

_Magic, figures_, Zuko thought tersely. Childishly.

"Should we tell Father?" Azula asked quietly.

"Not now", Zuko shook his head grimly. "Not yet. He won't believe us anyway."

"I'll tell Lu Ten", Azula said. "You tell Uncle. He'd listen to you", the last part was rather bitter.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Zuko asked, trying to sound casual. He was wary about finding his sister in this house where a young attractive noble boy lived. Zuko was wondering if he was the one Azula was hugging under the tree.

"I've told you", Azula kept her face still. "I needed to see Master Piandao. Didn't you get my letter? You know, it's common courtesy to reply a letter if only to let the sender know that you've received it."

Zuko narrowed his eyes sharply at the comeback. "Whatever", he said, following Azula as she got out. The two walked to the living room of the North Wing, Lu Ten was already there, tying his raven hair into a top-knot.

"Azula", he started rather coldly. "Sit down."

Azula chewed her lip and did as she was told, sitting in the farthest couch, gripping her hands, looking like a guilty child; it was enough to melt Lu Ten.

"Don't cry, baby cousin. Lu Ten's not mad", the older Prince said, stroking the girl's head as he held her tight in his chest.

"I'm not crying, dumb-dumb", Azula grumbled though she did not pull away.

Lu Ten drew away a little. "Still, Uncle's pretty mad, you know. We went through a lot coming here. And seriously, this place is _really_ hard to find."

"There are magical enchantments protecting this place", Azula explained, letting go of Lu Ten. "Some of them are original spells. I'm really impressed and that's one of the reasons why I'm still here. I found books and notes. I want to study them."

"Nuh-uh, not a good idea", Lu Ten shook his head. "You are coming home with me. It's not safe here."

Azula glanced sideways to Zuko who tensed up slightly.

"What do you mean not safe?" Azula asked, her tone and face were the very picture of innocence.

"Well, you know", Lu Ten drawled evasively. "Just… not safe."

Zuko was too tired to beat around the bush. "Lu Ten, we were attacked by the Shadow Brotherhood."

Azula whipped her head towards Zuko furiously while Lu Ten's face turned to stone.

"So was I", he said unexpectedly. "Whispered?"

His two cousins nodded.

"I got attacked by someone who can turn invisible", Lu Ten said. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked Azula urgently, grabbing her arms.

"I'm fine", Azula answered quietly. "Zuko got beaten up."

"That's okay, he's tough", Lu Ten smiled, patting Azula on the head. "Oh, and who is this delightful little creature."

Azula did not even know that Avi had been following her since she was in the bath.

"Ember wolf", Lu Ten picked up the puppy with both hands. "My, what a wonderful specimen."

"That's Avi", Azula took the puppy from Lu Ten and hugged it. "She's mine."

"I see, I see", Lu Ten nodded. "And what about this one?"

He pointed at Lin who was sitting on the couch, almost ignored by the royals.

"He's our host", Azula looked at Lu Ten dryly. "Show some respect. His father is a hero."

Lu Ten and Zuko threw a glance at Lin, then at each other, and at Lin again. Almost as if it was rehearsed, the two Princes smoothly moved and framed Lin at his right and left, totally invading his personal space.

"What is your intention towards Azula?" Lu Ten went straight to the point.

"Um… eh?"

"You heard him", Zuko came next, not that he cared (he did…).

"Intention?" Lin feigned innocence, wishing to Agni Azula would step in soon. Sadly the Princess rather enjoyed the discomfort Lin was currently suffering at the hands of her crazy cousin and her brother who just got dragged along but was surprisingly committed in his role.

"Yeah, _intention_", Lu Ten repeated himself, nose twitching like a bad boy; Zuko assumed the fanged face and sucked his teeth like something got stuck between his sharp incisors.

"Um, well, I suppose it will be to provide her the books and notes she needs", Lin tried.

"Not good enough", Lu Ten growled.

"Alright", Azula moved closer to the boys, flicking Lu Ten's nose on the way and glaring at Zuko, taking the couch between Lin and Lu Ten. "Again, I'm just here for the books. And to teach him sword", she added. "Master Piandao suggested that", yes, throw Master Piandao's name around.

"Okay, I'll take it for now", Lu Ten gave Lin one last sharp glare. "In any case, your dad…" Azula groaned. "…will want to talk to you about this. You're in trouble, baby cousin."

Azula groaned and whined, slumping into Lu Ten's chest and slid down to his abdomen, grabbing his torso like a little kid.

"Alright, alright", he sighed, pulling Azula up. "Just play the guilt. We'll assist."

Zuko stayed quiet. Avi padded towards him and barked once, wagging its tail.

Ozai emerged from his room, tall and glorious he looked in his robe, framed by Jee and Chit Sang, brandishing his saber. Lin, feeling ticklish around the neck, stood up and bowed, and immediately vacated the room.

Azula promptly quivered her lower lip and dived into Lu Ten's protective embrace, sobbing, making sad noises of cat mewling.

Ozai took a step back and realized what a monster he was, looking down at the saber he was holding with a horrified look as if the saber was coated in the blood of baby seal-turtles. He threw it over his shoulder, prompting Chit Sang and Jee to catch it while trying not to lose a finger.

He still managed to stand his ground looking all regal and royal though. Props for that.

"Uncle, Azula is sorry", Lu Ten pleaded. "And I suppose it was my fault feeding her sugar past four in the afternoon. You know how impulsive she gets when she had sugar past four in the afternoon", Lu Ten reasoned, grinning awkwardly as he braced through Azula's sharp pinch on his gut. "And besides, she did write Zuko about it. Right, Zuko?"

The youngest Princes said nothing; Azula nudged her foot at his, still sobbing in Lu Ten's chest.

Zuko jolted. "Yes, of course, Father", Zuko said, looking unfocused.

"You alright there, little cousin?" Lu Ten did not like how pale Zuko looked.

"No", Zuko swallowed hard and regretted it; his stomach churned so much he felt like throwing up. "I think I may be allergic to that thing we drank at—"

Lu Ten and, much to Azula's surprise, Ozai made an urgent scathing noise, silencing Zuko. Azula suddenly wondered what might have happened on the way they came here but she had to keep looking guilty.

"Daddy, I'm sorry", Azula whimpered, peeking a little from Lu Ten's chest. Ozai might still look as impassive as ever but his heart just broke into several pieces.

"Alright", Ozai said finally; his voice cracked in the end but he quickly masked it with a cough. Azula sprung up and leaped over the coffee table, diving into her father's arm. Ozai felt a hitch in his throat as he reached and patted the head that was pressing hard into his chest. "What matters is you are safe", he said, leaning down and pecking the girl on the top of her head.

"I'm sorry, Daddy", Azula emerged, sniffing. "It won't happen again."

"Of course", Ozai managed to sound a bit colder and more like himself there. "Now", he swept his glance at the other two as well. "What is this I heard about the Whispered attacking you?"

Azula tentatively turned around, exchanging nervous glances with Zuko and Lu Ten; Chit Sang and Jee, aka the two who snitched, shifted uncomfortably behind Ozai.

-B-L-O-O-D-

It was night when Lin found himself back in the vast backyard of the Manor. The air was too still to his liking and it set his senses on edge. He kept expecting an attack, seeing enemies in the moving shadows, and the open air helped him. He was rehearsing the fencing form Azula had taught him, and felt more and more confident the more he rehearsed it. He felt his movement becoming sharper and his balance improving, and he had wobbled less and less in his one-legged high stances or in his low cross-legged stances.

Azula was right, he thought. Fencing style would be a most useful weapon against the assassin and the likes of her who utilized speed and evasive movements. It was truly fortunate Master Piandao let him keep Frost. Azula had lent Lin Azure to wave around; Lin found the sword exceedingly light, too light to his liking. Frost was twice as heavy as Azure or any fencing jian, according to Azula, due to the metal alloy used in making the blade.

"_You'll get used to it in time",_ Azula had reassured Lin and she was right. Lin could really see himself utilizing such jian for a long time to come.

"Nice move", Prince Zuko's rough voice startled Lin a little. Lin turned around and there he was; he took notice of how stealthy the Prince was.

Zuko, who was apparently blood-deprived and had let it gone unnoticed until he passed out for real at dinner, was scrutinizing the boy's face. It took several minutes before it clicked in his mind: he was the assassin he had contacted to help him, the seer.

The incompetent seer… but, a very capable archer, Zuko had to admit. Zuko had not seen his face during the attack on the fort and the assassin kept his hood up the whole time, plus it was dark. But, he recognized the grin.

Zuko already planned to make this guy shoot an arrow just to see it.

"Azula said you saved her", Zuko began, fixing his sharp amber eyes on the boy's.

"It was the Princess who saved me, Your Highness", Lin inclined his head slightly, keeping his sword behind his back.

Zuko took in a deep breath as covertly as possible, trying to take in the boy's scent; he did smell like the assassin from before, the incompetent seer.

"Azula spoke highly of you", Zuko said stiffly. He then turned around and walked away, leaving a rather perplexed Lin behind.

Lin was wondering why the Prince sniffed him. Shrugging dismissively, Lin went back to rehearsing his swordplay and upped the speed and sharpness of his offense. Prince Lu Ten interrupted his routine this time.

"Yes, yes, rise, rise", Lu Ten waved lazily as Lin bowed to him.

"Are you unable to sleep, Your Highness?" Lin asked politely. "Perhaps, your bed—"

"My bed is fine", Lu Ten interrupted. "Azula told me that you helped him a lot in the ordeal with the assassin. You even tried to hunt her down for Azula."

"I was not much of a help, I'm afraid", Lin replied humbly.

"It's the thought that counts", Lu Ten said. "You _actually_ tried to hunt down a Shadow Brotherhood assassin. It shows great courage and admirable loyalty to the Royal Family. I appreciate that."

"Thank you, Your Highness", Lin said before Lu Ten suddenly invaded his personal space, sniffing him. The next thing he knew, the Fire Prince roared and jumped at him, wrestling him to the ground.

"YOU! I KNOW IT'S **YOU**!" Lu Ten grabbed the choking boy by the neck and shook him hard.

"W-what…?" Lin choked out.

"IT WAS YOU! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO—"

"Lu Ten…?"

The Fire Prince froze. He turned to the interruption and found his Uncle Ozai standing there, still in his formal robe for some odd reason, his hands in his sleeves. The older Prince looked at him disapprovingly and, reluctantly, Lu Ten let go of the bastard who had violated his baby cousin (maybe), out of love for Azula. If he outed Azula right there and then, Ozai would surely turn on her in a snap, right after they incinerate this bastard together.

Lu Ten decided to go to Azula first before he did something he might regret. Getting up, he bowed to Ozai and, after walked away calmly to the Manor for about a few paces, he broke into a dash.

Fire Prince Ozai stared at the boy and Lin finally realized that he was still on the ground. Swiftly, he picked up his sword and got up to a more dignified position. He bowed politely, holding his sword in a reverse grip with the blade pointing down as he did so.

The Fire Prince stepped forward and held his back at him, looking almighty with the moonlight shining down on him.

"You", the Fire Prince started. "I know your grandparents and your parents", he said. "You lived up to your family name, despite your failure", Ozai was not going to let a deed of trying to protect his precious daughter go unrewarded nor would he let failure be ignored. "You saved my daughter. Tell me, what is it you desire? I shall grant it."

Lin gaped a bit, totally not expecting that; the thing he desired… only Azula came to mind. "Your Highness, with all due respect", he got on his knees, put his sword down at his side, and put his hands down in front of him. "What I desire is not something you can give; what I desire is…"_…your blessing…_ "…something that I must earn for myself"

Ozai turned his head to the side a little, glancing at the boy. "Very well", he said with a touch of arrogance in his countenance. "If that is your wish", he turned around and swept away, walking back to the Manor. _The kid has honor_, he thought to himself. _If he was a vampire, Azula would like him._

From the Manor, Lu Ten screamed so very loudly when he failed to break into Azula's room and was zapped by the protection spells the Princess had put on her door.


End file.
